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Binaural beat ranges1/20/2024 Now admittedly, listening to a 300 Hz tone and its close friend for long periods doesn’t sound like my idea of fun. For optimal results, we need to listen for at least 10 minutes, and in a meta-analysis of 22 research studies: “time under exposure contributed significantly to the model indicating that longer periods are advisable to ensure maximum effectiveness.” It’s critical that we do this with headphones – it won’t work with speakers as the signal to each ear needs to be isolated in order to make our brains perceive the different tones. Copyright © 2016 Beauchene et al, But we can’t hear as low as 2 Hz, so how can this be? Remember, we’re not “hearing” the beat or phantom wave through our ears – our brains are creating it inside themselves, as a kind of auditory illusion. We can utilize this phenomenon to create our own relaxed states by simply playing the mathematically corresponding tones through stereo headphones!Įxample of a 15 Hz binaural beat. The word binaural means “having or relating to two ears.” The phantom waves created are known as binaural beats, and as you can see, example A corresponds to our alpha brain waves, B to theta waves, and C to delta waves. This is known as the “Frequency Following Response” and it’s a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens in the human brain. For example:Ī) Left ear 200 Hz + Right ear 210 Hz = Phantom wave produced at 10 Hzī) Left ear 150 Hz + Right ear 156 Hz = Phantom wave produced at 6 HzĬ) Left ear 300 Hz + Right ear 302 Hz = Phantom wave produced at 2 Hz The brain then joins in at the new frequency and produces brainwaves at the same rate of Hz, becoming “entrained” to that frequency. When a tone of one frequency is played to our left ear, and another tone up to 30 Hz higher or lower is played to the right ear, our brains create a “phantom wave” of the difference. As a long-time meditator (I’m both a monitor engineer and a yoga therapist) I can say that it is truly worth the effort – but wouldn’t it also be nice if we could access these deeper, slower states more readily, any time? Excitingly, we can, and that’s where the binaural beats phenomenon comes in. The other states are accessible through meditation, but it does take practice. With stress and anxiety so prevalent in modern western society generally – and especially now – we can see that we spend the majority of our time in the beta state. Low levels have been linked to many of the potential effects of aging such as weight gain, loss of libido, reduced bone and muscle mass and cognitive decline.) It Takes Practice (DHEA is a naturally occurring chemical that converts to testosterone in men and estrogen in women, and that declines from the age of 30. Stress hormones such as cortisol drop to very low levels in this state, and DHEA production is increased. Although normally a sleeping state, delta waves can be consciously experienced via certain deep meditation practices such as Yoga Nidra, which allow us to access our subconscious mind. This is the brain wave state of deep sleep, where pain is relieved and our bodies do their best self-healing and repair work. Creativity and inspiration are greatly enhanced here.ĭelta wave state: 0.5–4 cycles per second/Hz. It can be consciously experienced when we’re meditating deeply and thought activity is suspended. This is a state of deep relaxation typical of REM sleep. Theta wave state: 4–8 cycles per second/Hz. Our mindset is positive – we are present, effortlessly absorbed in our activity and environment, and our ability to learn is enhanced. This is a state of relaxed awareness – you might have heard it referred to as being “in flow.” We’re captivated by whatever we’re doing, our attention is focused, stress is reduced and we feel at ease. We’re alert but not necessarily focused and may feel stressed.Īlpha wave state: 8–12 cycles per second/Hz. We’re in a beta state when we’re going about our daily business, often with our minds darting rapidly around the place, planning, analysing, ruminating and worrying. Binaural beats are a phenomenon whereby we can voluntarily create different brain waves using external sound sources, thereby inducing the associated mental state.įirst, let’s take a look at the different states of consciousness which we most commonly experience.īeta wave state: 12–30 cycles per second/Hertz (Hz). We humans have a range of different brain wave states and speeds, each relating to a different state of consciousness, be it waking, sleeping, or somewhere in between.
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