Neurostimulation

The proposed benefit is accelerating entry into deep sleep, REM sleep, or other desired stages to make sleep more efficient. A described neuropriming protocol uses 20 minutes of stimulation followed by about an hour of enhanced plasticity for practice. The article distinguishes short-term subjective recovery from long-term biological safety. An anecdote describes an older Russian sleep technology after which a person reportedly felt restored after two hours. Electrical brain stimulation creates fields around neurons by delivering current through the scalp and skull. Moderate electrical fields can make neurons more likely to fire together. The article warns that repeated long-term use of brain-current technology could carry unknown risks such as cancer or heart disease. Neuropriming does not replace practice, coaching, repetition, or training. Electrical brain stimulation is discussed as a possible future way to manipulate sleep stages.