Neurofeedback and athletic performance
At the Colorado Center for Neurofeedback and Peak Performance, we believe that the better a person’s brain functions, the better the person functions overall.
Athletes and Neurofeedback
Many professional athletes utilize neurofeedback (also known as EEG biofeedback) to enhance their sports performance, including World Cup soccer champions, Olympic competitors, Major League Baseball players and many others.. Every athlete has one thing in common — the feeling of pressure to perform perfectly when it counts the most. High stress and tension can be detrimental to an athlete’s performance. Our professionals at the Colorado Center for Neurofeedback and Peak Performance are dedicated to improving our patients’ brain function and health.
Research
During a Canadian study at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, 15 athletes getting ready to compete were assessed for stress and went through neurofeedback training. Coaches and athletes reported back that the neurofeedback training helped manage the stress of training and competing and that the program led to better overall performances. Athletes felt that the neurofeedback training increased their mental agility and allowed them to remain more calm during tense moments of competition (Rydzik et al., 2023)
Benefits for Athletes
Neurofeedback benefits athletes in many ways. Studies have shown that neurofeedback increase attention and focus, improve emotional control, slow cognitive decline, improve sleep, and can restore brain function after traumatic brain injuries. Sports performances require the brain to function at a high level while remaining focused and ignoring distracting stimuli. These high-pressure situations can cause anxiety and stress. Neurofeedback stabilizes mood and emotional perception, including the perception and ability to cope with stress. This decreases anxiety overall, thus making moments of high demand easier to emotionally manage.
Certain areas of the brain naturally decline as we age, making it just as important for athletes to exercise certain parts of the brain as they would do their bodies. Neurofeedback provides that exercise to the brain, so athletes stay on point as they get older. Since the brain is “working out” during the neurofeedback training sessions, the quality and depth of sleep is improved. Sleep directly benefits an athlete’s performance by assisting in the healing process and keeping the brain healthy.
Contact us
At the Colorado Center for Neurofeedback and Peak Performance, our team of professionals are ready to help you take your game to a higher level, whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior who simply wants to be the best you can be. Schedule a free consultation to find out how we can help you be better at your sport!
Contact us today for a free consultation.
We are available in the Denver Metro Center and Evergreen Colorado. Feel free to reach out at (303) 670-3931 for the Evergreen office and (720) 531-0265 for the Wheat Ridge location.
Reference
Rydzik, Ł., Wąsacz, W., Ambroży, T., Javdaneh, N., Brydak, K., & Kopańska, M. (2023, April 14). The use of neurofeedback in sports training: Systematic review. Brain sciences. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10136619/#:~:text=In%202010%2C%20a%20study%20was,the%20previous%20year%20%5B20%5D.
