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The Masgutova Method® is a set of programs focused on the restoration and maturation of primary movements, reflexes, coordination systems, skills for optimal performance of natural mechanisms, developmental processes, brain functioning, and sensory-motor integration. You can read more about Reflexes and MNRI HERE.

Watch an overview of how MNRI works

The Mission of the Svetlana Masgutova Educational Institute (SMEI) is to provide health, wellness and educational professionals, parents, and caregivers with non-invasive techniques to address maturational, developmental, and life challenges.

MNRI® Reflex Integration for Healthy Sleep

S. Masgutova, N. Akhmatova (2013/2020)

The MNRI® Program provides neurosensorimotor reflex integration tools and techniques to individuals who have compromised protective or survival mechanisms and want to strengthen stress resilience, achieve well-regulated immunity, support a strong physical health state, have restful sleep, and reach inner peace. 

We offer a brief MNRI® reflex integration introductory class about the role of the neurodevelopment in our life, and how some basic reflex patterns serving healthy sleep can help strengthen stress resilience, immunity and learning. Simple reflex exercises and techniques can also help manage physical and emotional stress and worry. Consult your doctor first before doing the exercises. 

Sleep is an essential part of our survival, health, emotional stability, overall well-being, and cognitive development. It impacts every tissue and system in the body, from the brain, heart and lungs, to immune functions, mood, and disease resistance. It restores our stress resilience. 

Sleep is:

• A normal biological, neurophysiological process in a human
• A naturally recurring state of mind and body 
• A support for neurodevelopment
• Characterized by altered consciousness 
• An inhibited sensory activity and reduces motor-muscle activity 
• An inhibitor of nearly all voluntary muscles during deep sleeping 
• A process that reduces interactions with surroundings
• Distinguished from wakefulness by a decreased ability to react to stimuli 
• A state that displays different slow and fast frequency brain waves, thus effecting the rest-active state of the brain-body system.

During deep sleep, a variety of functions take place in the mind and body:

• Growth factor hormone 
• Memories are consolidated
• Long-term memory being formed
• Learning and emotions process
• Physical recovery occurs
• Blood sugar levels and metabolism balance out
• The immune system is energized 
• The brain detoxifies

Without deep sleep, these functions cannot take place, and the symptoms of sleep deprivation take place. 

This class will cover:

1. Information on sleeping as a process and its periods and stages relative to brain activity
2. The duration of sleep depends on the age of a person. Newborns spend more than half of their day sleeping, but as we age, our sleep requirements diminish. For example, a newborn spends about 14-17 hours per day asleep. By the time a child is of school age, their sleep requirements range from 10-14 hours for a preschool child, to 9-11 hours for a child between the age of 6-13. Teenagers ages 14-17 sleep an average of 8-10 hours. By the time a person reaches adulthood, the average number of hours required for healthy sleep range from between 7-9 hours. Older individuals tend to require less sleep.
3. Information concerning the fact that sleep helps the brain to store new information as nerve cells communicate and reorganize to support the rest of the organism and normalize brain function. It supports the process of repairing body-brain cells, birth of new neurons in the brain, releasing of molecules such as proteins and hormones that serve the body’s ongoing functioning, and refuels the brain-body system with energy.  
4. At times of acute or post stress and, especially, trauma, sleep often becomes disturbed, and insomnia can take place.
5. The closing of our eyelids and falling asleep sets into motion many biological processes that happen during the specific five stages of sleep – from fast frequency brain waves (Beta and Alpha) to slow (Theta and Delta). Typically, a person begins a sleep cycle every 90-120 minutes, repeating the longer/night sleep in four- five periods (8 hours of sleep).
   The first stage of sleep is actually our drowsy state, when we are drifting off into sleep. The Gamma, High Beta, Mid Beta, Beta Sensory Motor Rhythm, Alpha, and Theta brain waves abate from their daytime wakeful patterns.
   The muscles relax, with the occasional twitch. The heartbeat, breathing, and eye movements decelerate. The brain-body sequentially moves to the second stage, or light sleep; and, next, third stage - a period of deep sleep that is needed for the body to recharge itself. The heartbeat and breathing shifts to their lowest levels. The muscles are at full rest, the immune system is energized, and the brain waves continue to slow and detoxify the brain. 
   These first three stages form a cycle not to be missed during sleep, as these are the periods in which the body restores itself thanks to the inhibition of all voluntary movements. This control is done only by the brainstem for the survival, and the thalamus at this time is quiet. During the fourth and fifth stages the thalamus becomes active, sending the cerebral cortex images, sounds, and other sensations that shape our dreams. 
6. Information on the effect of sleep on other functions of the organism: the circadian rhythm regulates a variety of factors, including body temperature, metabolism, and hormone release. Sleep-wake homeostasis works in conjunction, cueing the body when it is time to go to sleep and when to wake up. 
7. Discussion of the nerve system and brain functions during sleeping. During sleeping the brainstem and the hypothalamus fire off neurotransmitters to the cerebral cortex, the brain’s largest region for it to stay active/awake. Neurotransmitters such as histamine, adrenaline, cortisol, serotonin and dopamine promote wakefulness, well-regulated attention/focusing and memorizing, clear decision making, help also speech and language operations and development, and abstract thinking. The acetylcholine neurotransmitter is released during sleep and once awake, facilitates the sensory-motor activity, development, and information gathering and storage. 
8. This class also presents information on disruptions in sleep and insomnia dependent on negative factors of the circadian rhythm, sleep-wake homeostasis, medications, eating style, exposure to light, work schedule, new external environment, jet lag, stress and trauma. 
9. Information on classification of sleeping positions will be a curious topic, and the role of the Abdominal sleep posture for sleep in different ages –infancy, toddler, adult will be proposed. 
10. Discussion on the important factor for healthy sleeping is the maturity and proper functioning of the reflex patterns, that serve the nervous system and assure it strength and activity. Nature encodes into a human body-brain system the ready given sensory motor reflex patterns, such as Abdominal Sleep Posture, Breathing, Tonic Labyrinthine and other. The MNRI® processes propose specific exercises for support of these reflex patterns and some others. Discussion of developmental implications, effects of proper development and integration, and effects of immaturity or lack of integration are discussed during this class. 
11. The proposed exercise protocol focuses particularly, on: Trunk Extension to improve the mobility in the spine and to let go the negative effect of the Fear Paralysis; Abdominal Sleep Posture for differentiation from ATNR and release of hypersensitivity of the auditory – stapedial reflex effect, and release of stress hormones; Breathing, Yawing and Tactility support for release of negative protection and survival. The protocol discusses also the role of Automatic Gait optimized in Active Walking daily. The ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex serves awake state) and Abdominal Sleep Posture (supports rest and sleep) can be confused and cause disruptions and dysfunctions in sleep patterns observed often in children and adults with Autism, ADHD and ADD, Anxiety disorders and other neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders. ATNR, plays an active role in learning processes, and is connected with the development of several cognitive systems, such as auditory, auditory-visual, space and space–time orientation, and auditory perception–memory anchoring or patterning. The Abdominal Posture Reflex relaxes the body and calms down emotions. This reflex, as the long-term work in the MNRI® Method shows, releases stress hormones and switches on the slow brain waves typical to the state of sleep; the Galant pattern regulates hyper-/hypo-sensitivity and helps with bedwetting challenges.
12. The MNRI® Improving Your Sleep Pattern class undertakes: A) the developmental implications of reflex exercises, B) effects of proper development and integration, C) effects of immaturity or lack of integration, and D) suggests specific exercise tools. 
13. This protocol is created for temporary and chronic stressed sleeping and insomnia.