Autism One 2016: The Wireless-Free Tent Experience

In 2015, I gave a talk at the Autism One conference entitled “Wireless: A Key Piece of the Autism Puzzle and What You Can Do About it.” Two other talks were also given at that conference which discussed the health effects of wireless and EMF (electromagnetic fields) and how they contribute to autism. The challenge was that the hotel the conference was held at had a very strong industrial-strength Wi-Fi. This was a big concern, as I was planning to return for the 2016 Autism One conference. Was there some way to reduce exposure for parents and extremely sensitive children?

I have been focusing on reducing sensory noise, toxins, and wireless in my home and office space for over a decade, and my office was just featured on a CNN program that explored the health effects of environmental toxins. Working with some professionals from Healthy Building Sciences, LessEMF.com, and Alan Maher Designs, we came up with a plan to create a low EMF zone. My company, Clear Light Ventures, sponsored a room we named the “Clear Space.”  We incorporated as many healthy factors as we could into the room, but the primary goal was reducing high levels of wireless radiation.

We used a quick assembly event tent frame and covered it with two layers of an EMF shielding fabric called StatiCot. We then used four layers of another EMF shielding material called Swiss Shield Daylite for a skylight and for the doorway. We grounded the metal frame and conductive shielding fabric with three Alan Maher Technical Grounds to give the fabric and frame a way to discharge electrical energy. This configuration allowed us to reduce the average level of wireless radiation from over 3,000 uW/m2 to 0 uW/m2. It was a great team effort, but the real measure of success would be to see how many people, especially the autistic children, felt the difference. 

Over the next five days of the conference, hundreds of people went into the Clear Space tent.  I was surprised that almost everyone (about 97%) felt the difference. We started to ask people to write brief comments about their experience of being in the tent.  Here are a few of those comments:

“I felt very calm and peaceful in the tent.  It was like I stepped out of my world to a place I needed to be.”

“I feel much more relaxed!”

“I spent 10 minutes in the tent and felt much more clear in my head and calmed.”

Calm was the most common word used to describe the experience. Some of the autistic children who came into the tent immediately started to calm down and “stim” less. Two brothers came in and calmed down right away. One sat in a chair and looked stunned by the experience, and the other laid on the floor and went to sleep. Many of the parents at the conference brought their children into the tent to calm them down.

You don’t need to create a completely wireless and EMF-free zone to start feeling the calming effects of reducing wireless exposure. You can start to get some of the benefits for free by turning off sources of wireless exposure around your body, especially exposures in your bedroom that impact your sleep.

For more details, see the video "Autism One Wireless-Free Tent Experiences."

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Creating a Healthy Sleep Environment

Wireless and EMF Reduction for Autism

References

Wireless: A Key Piece of the Autism Puzzle and What You Can Do About It

The autism/ASD epidemic is caused by low intensity EMFs (acting via VGCC activation) and chemical exposures (acting via excessive NMDA activity) which both act via excessive [Ca2+]i to disrupt synapse formation and function in the brain.

The Real Reason Electronics Are Affecting Our Sleep - Part II

Some people may still sleep poorly even after following the basic tips from "The Real Reasons Electronics Are Affecting Our Sleep." In 2005, I was sleeping so poorly that I had to be hospitalized.  I tried everything I could find: doctors, medicines, supplements, neurofeedback.  I saw some minor improvement, but nothing really restored that deep rejuvenating sleep I had known for years.

One day, on vacation, I realized that I could actually sleep well in some places. What was different?  My bedroom at home was pretty quiet, except for a subtle high pitched noise.  I became convinced that the noise was the cause of my sleep disturbance.  It took me three years to find the source of the noise.  The most helpful person was a building biologist who helped measure EMF (electromagnetic fields), wireless radiation and electrical noise (dirty electricity) on our household wiring.

We put in a few dirty electrical noise filter plugs and I noticed the pitch of the noise I heard at night changed and I finally started to sleep better again. Eventually, I turned off the wi-fi permanently and switched to wired Ethernet for all our computers.  We also replaced our cordless phone with a corded phone.  Additionally, we reduced levels of magnetic fields and electric fields (EMFs) in our bedrooms.  The fields "carry" the noise, just like a speaker transmits sound. When the fields are lower, it's like lowering the volume of a stereo speaker.

The hardest part of the experience for me was recognizing that technology could be a problem.  I worked in Silicon Valley and had always viewed technology as good and completely safe.  This belief proved to be not entirely correct.  I now fund work to raise awareness about wireless safety and the safety of EMF (electromagnetic fields), including their potential role in the rising autism epidemic (Autism and EMF? Plausibility of a pathophysiological link - Part I).  

Sadly, like me, most people have assumed that this is all completely safe and well tested.  Some sleep labs at very elite universities even advertise that they have Wi-Fi in their labs.  I have yet to find a study that demonstrates Wi-Fi does not affect sleep.  The emerging data on wireless and EMF shows that our biological processes are impacted at very fundamental levels.  

Here are some more advanced tips for sleeping well without interference from wireless radiation and EMF:

• Measure the level of electrical noise in your home's wiring with a Stetzerizer or Greenwave meter.  Use the meter to locate high sources of electrical noise and find devices that might be generating it.
• Don't sleep with your head near a power panel or circuit breaker box.  These are sources of high magnetic fields.
• Consider moving your head away from the A/C plugs around the wall or try sleeping with your head toward the middle of the room.
• If you have a smart meter, consider opting out.  They emit a wireless pulse every 6 seconds and the switching power supply in the units can increase the electrical noise in your home.
• Look for other sources of constant wireless radiation: alarm systems, wireless weather stations and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices.
• Hire a building biologist or environmental consultant to come to your house to measure EMF levels and look for other sources of wireless radiation and EMF. Some sources of exposure may be outside your home and they can help you shield your home from those exposures.

Almost everyone is now affected by this rising threat to healthy sleep. Most people know something is wrong, but have failed to find the invisible factor affecting sleep.  I hope that after reading these articles this factor is now clear to you, and that you will take action to mitigate it to improve your sleep and your family's sleep.

Peter Sullivan is an environmental health advocate, autism funder and writer.  He lives in Los Altos, California with his wife and two boys.

The Real Reason Electronics Are Affecting Our Sleep

Many people are now noticing that they do not sleep well after using electronic devices late at night. Some have attributed the sleep disturbance to exposure to blue light, since it is stimulating and is known to reduce melatonin levels at night. But that is only one part of the problem. 

It is important to understand that wireless radiation and EMF (electromagnetic fields) emitted by these devices are basically light with a frequency that is below that which our eyes can perceive.  We know that exposure to EMF can also draw down our melatonin levels, just like exposure to visible light at night.  So, it may be helpful to think of wireless and EMF as invisible lights that should be turned off at night before bed, just like we naturally turn off visible lights.

Here are some basic tips for reducing exposure at night:

• As a general rule, keep electronics out of the bedroom: TVs, cordless phones, cell phones and chargers.  Corded phones that don't need to be plugged into power outlets are OK.
• Move digital LED (light emitting diode) alarm clocks away from your head.  They generate very large magnetic fields.   Ideally, move the clock to the other side of the bedroom or replace it with a battery powered analog or LCD clock.
• Unplug reading lights close to your head.  Even lights that are not on will generate electric fields and bring electrical noise closer to your head.
• Turn off cordless phone base stations at night.  The cordless phone base is the one that has the physical phone line going into it.  Unplug the unit or put it on a light timer.  The wireless signal from these base stations is constantly on and has a large reach, so turn it off even if it's far from your bedroom.
• Turn off your Wi-Fi at night.  You could put the Wi-Fi router's plug on a light timer, or some routers have a software configuration that will allow you to turn it on and off at specific times.  You could also use a remote switch to turn the plug and Wi-Fi on only when you need it for a limited duration of time.

These simple steps will help you avoid the most common electronic and EMF (electromagnetic fields) problems that can interfere with your sleep.  When you are ready, there are even more steps you can take to reduce your exposure: 

The Real Reason Electronics Are Effecting Our Sleep - Part II