Can't sleep? Expert shares 'biohacks' for better snooze

MANILA, Philippines — Can't sleep due to stress and anxiety especially during the pandemic?

According to UNLTD Biohacking Recovery Center founder Eli Abela, lack of sleep is the number one cause of chronic degenerative diseases.

“I know the epidemic in the world is not cancer or autoimmune or autism or depression. It's lack of sleep. If all of these people just slept well, and long, there will be fewer cases of chronic degenerative diseases like that. And that means juggling. Yeah, so that's why I really want to teach sleep,” Abela told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.

Abela said that sleeping is a practice, which is why people need to work on it. She also cites benefits of sleeping deeply.

“The benefits are when you sleep more deeply, so many inflammatory conditions resolve, because it's in sleep, that our brain fixes itself that the body sends out armies to kill malignant cells to kill pathogens to detoxify and remove heavy metals to fix and repair, what needs to be fixed and repaired, it's apparently during sleep,” she explained.

“And then our memories are being calibrated in sleep. Painful memories are also being removed, so that's why in the morning, you feel better about something. It happens in sleep. Also, it is when the brain calibrates new learning with old memories and starts to integrate them to form solutions. So sometimes when you wake up, you wake up with a solution to a problem. It's because the brain calibrates during sleep but it needs to be asleep,” she added.

In her biohacking recovery center, Abela offered a non-sleep deep rest class.

“So, we believe that sleep is an ability and deep sleep is a skill. And given that, sleeping can be taught with the use of techniques. We biohack the body's responses to very gentle touch and very light level of voice because we are programmed to react to human voice,” she said.

“And so we use voice and gentle touches and self-awareness gestures that we know can allow a person to sleep, and using these techniques on your own, and on your own bed eventually. It's like a muscle. If you keep doing the classes, and then you do it on your own."

Abela said that American neuroscientist Andrew Huberman coined the term non-sleep deep rest. It’s like building the deep sleep ability that people can learn with practice.

“And so, in this class, we will place you in that brainwave state between sleep and awake. And then from there, we help induce very deep rest, where the brain picks up optimal signals for rest wellness relaxation. You can even also say it's a little bit hypnotic. But not that kind of, we don't put you in an in an altered state of consciousness, we don't, it's very safe, it's really just a very deep rest. Think of it as like a power nap. A power nap but with self focused healing suggestions,” she said.

UNLTD Biohacking Recovery Center recently opened its doors to the public at the 2nd Floor of 123 Pioneer St, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The center claims to be the first and only one of its kind as a recovery center in the country. It houses state-of-the-art technology and non-medical machines intended to help people get their mind, body and soul to perform at its optimum.

According to Abela’s mentor, and father of Biohacking, Dave Asprey, “Biohacking is the art and science of changing the environment around you and inside you, so you have more control over your own biology.”

“Overall wellness and anti-aging are immediate benefits of biohacking, but we are also able to help address those who suffer from depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, PTSD, stress and many more,” Abela said.

“Healing yourself by harnessing the healer within starts by believing that your biology evolved itself to develop survival-focused self-healing powers. Using the machines at UNLTD allows you to gain practical knowledge on how you can defy aging from the inside-out, so that your body’s natural ability to detox, repair, restore and regenerate occurs to help you boost immunity and perform at your best without medications, and with no side effects, no chemicals."

The center offers healing modalities for everyone. They have the NeurOptimal Feedback Training, which is a simple modality where one would be wearing headphones to listen and view a short film showing. Probes are attached to various parts of the head, which transmit or train the central nervous system to train the brain to better respond to stress, anxiety, trauma and even feelings of panic or depression.

Medical Ozone Therapy uses a mechanism that allows oxygen to be distributed to the cells and allows for maximum absorption and utilization. It promotes the production of Cellular energy fuel known as ATP, thus boosting mitochondria (the powerhouse of our cells), and stimulating elements needed for cellular repair and regeneration.

Abela said that the Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT) is the athlete’s top machine of choice “because it helps them perform better and recover faster.” EWOT is believed to boost immunity, for its anti-aging benefits, and aid in recovery and cellular health. It features a stationary bike and a massive oxygen reservoir attached to a face mask. The concept is very similar to a hyperbaric chamber. Upon mounting the bike, you wear the mask to open air ways and to get a direct dose of pure oxygen at every inhale. Intervals are set for seconds of pure oxygen and sprints with a deficit in oxygen.

For those with insomnia of have trouble getting the benefits of deep sleep, the Lenyo Bioregulation Therapy (BRT) and NanoVI modalities might help. The combination is designed to help energize injured or diseased cells,and restore balance. It is reportedly safe to use without any harmful effects to tissues, organs or cells, so it is recommended for all ages, from children to aging adults. It is also ideal for smokers, people with cancer, have compromised immunity, heavy metal toxicity, autoimmune disease and so much more.

For those who want to lose weight, want to have clear and smooth complexion, have skin and thyroid disorders, the RedBed Therapy is recommended by Abela.

“Our mission is to help you know you are unlimited. In my center, we welcome people to walk in, we make recommendations based on other people’s experiences, but we invite them to become active in deciding what’s best for them,” she said.