Binaural sounds: what they are and how they can benefit every space in your life

 

We are used to monaural or monophonic sounds that are defined by a single channel, while binaural sounds refer to the combination of different tones in each ear that can change the frequency of our brain waves. This change in frequency can induce various states of consciousness, from relaxation, meditation and sleep to concentration, attention span and memorization.

To better understand how binaural beats work, they are recordings of different sound waves that have been recorded through two different speakers so that when you listen to the recording you end up perceiving a third sound.

According to the research article by Lorenza Colzato et al. published in 2017 and updated in 2021, the experience of such oscillations is described as hearing a sound with a frequency equal to the difference in frequencies between the original tones (Oster 1973). For example, when the left ear is presented with a 320 Hz tone, and the right ear with a 360 Hz tone, the subject will perceive a tone oscillating at a frequency of 40 Hz (i.e., 40 beats per second).

These binaural beats are differentiated from clinical electroencephalographic (EEG) bandwidths, namely delta, theta, alpha, beta or gamma. This auditory stimulation has been widely used to modulate brain rhythms and thus induce the mental condition associated with EEG bandwidth or brain synchronization.

 

How brain wave frequencies are measured

All brain waves are measured using a qEEG. This test is done by placing electrodes on the person's scalp to measure the electrical activity within the brain as it responds to what the person is doing or thinking.

"Normally, qEEG data are displayed on a 'map' of the head, so that we can see which areas of the brain have electrical activity, such as over the prefrontal cortex [PFC], the amygdala or the hippocampus." This procedure would also show which brain frequencies are most active and how they behave in relation to each other.

 

Different frequencies of binaural sounds and the effect on the brain and body

 

Wave Type and Range	Specific effects on your brain
Gamma γ Wave Frequency More than 30 Hz	Induces concentration, focus, learning and memorization
Beta Wave Frequency β 13-30 Hz	During most waking activities
Alpha Wave Frequency α 8- 12.99 Hz	It happens during wakefulness, with an active mind but in a state of rest.
Theta Wave Frequency θ 4- 7.99 Hz	It occurs during sleep phases 1-2 (which is not deep sleep)
Delta δ Wave Frequency 1 - 3.99 Hz	It occurs during phase 3 of sleep or deep sleep.

 

Each of these types of wave frequencies corresponds to different levels of wave activity taking place in the brain. For example,

 

Gamma waves ( γ ) range from 35Hz -50 Hz, which corresponds to the highest frequency in brain activity. This type of waves is associated with attention, focus, information processing, and problem solving. In addition, participants in the Colzato study mentioned above showed improved memory, cognitive function, and even mood.

 

Beta waves ( β ) have a range between 13Hz - 30Hz which corresponds to brain frequency waves or medium beta waves (15-20 Hz) or also known as "beta two" waves that are associated with an increase in energy, performance and efficiency in work performance. However, high beta waves (18-30 Hz), known as "beta three" waves are already associated with significant stress, anxiety, paranoia, increased energy and high overstimulation. ( Study )

 

Alpha waves ( α ) range from 8 Hz - 12 Hz and correspond to an active but relaxed and/or resting mind. This is a state that encourages creativity and productivity, while it can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. You can get into this state by daydreaming, meditating, or practicing mindfulness.

According to an article in Verywell Mind Magazine, things you can do to help improve your ability to experience the Alpha ( α ) brain wave type would be,

Meditate : Meditation, apart from having many health benefits, has been associated with increasing alpha waves in the brain.

Deep Breathing : Deep breathing can be an effective way to combat feelings of anxiety. Research also suggests that it can help increase alpha activity in critical brain areas.

Practicing mindfulness : Studies have shown that mindfulness training can increase alpha wave activity, and some research has suggested that this practice may help people who suffer from chronic pain, anxiety, or depression. ( study )

Yoga : The state of relaxation associated with alpha waves can be increased by practicing yoga, and some research has suggested that regular yoga practice may enhance alpha activity in the brain. ( article )

Aerobic exercise : Some researchers suggest that aerobic exercise may increase alpha wave activity. ( article )

 

Theta waves ( θ ) oscillate between 4Hz and 8 Hz and occur during the first phase of sleep, that is, when you are falling asleep. Also, there are already studies that corroborate that listening to audios with binaural sounds of 6 Hz can induce meditative and introspective states. ( study )

The fact that these waves are visible both in light sleep phases and during concentration tasks, in a kind of autopilot state, is what makes them so interesting.

The Theta wave frequency is present during healing processes as well as recalling emotional experiences (good and bad), memory recovery and encoding new memories into thoughts.

But theta waves are also an important part of the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep, which occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. This is the phase of sleep in which vivid dreams can occur.

Dreams can often be influenced by how you manage your mind during the day. When you go to sleep after successfully coping with stress or controlling intrusive thoughts, more Theta activity is accessible. This increases the benefits of REM sleep and helps regenerate the mind, brain and body, providing restful sleep for efficient performance the next day.

According to an article in Mind Body Green magazine, “If you want to visualize your goals in order to make them a reality, you can use practices such as creativity, self-regulation, and brain building (practicing deep thinking and learning on a daily basis). These practices performed regularly increase the Theta frequency, especially in the frontal areas during activities that require attention or short-term memory.”

"It is important to remember that Theta waves are an energetic response to mental activity, and that the way you manage your mind will result in optimal Theta responses."

Delta waves ( δ ) are those that oscillate at less than 4Hz and correspond to the deep sleep phase where the brain transitions from Theta to Delta waves. This is where dreams occur but also where your body has the opportunity to recover, your immune system to strengthen and conditions such as stress, anxiety and others to balance and heal. When Delta wave activity is dominant, the person is in a deep sleep phase without dreaming.

Humans dream in 90-minute cycles. When Delta brainwave frequencies increase to the Theta brainwave frequency, active dreaming occurs, which often becomes more vivid for the person. Typically, when this occurs, rapid eye movement occurs, a characteristic of active sleep called REM (rapid eye movement).

When you wake up from a deep sleep, preparing to get up, your brainwave frequencies will increase through the different specific stages of brainwave activity. That is, they will go from Delta to Theta , then to Alpha , and finally, when your alarm goes off, or you just wake up, to Beta .

You may have experienced a few times that you wake up but then fall back asleep, i.e. you slightly return to Alpha, or even Theta, or sometimes even fall asleep in Delta. During this awakening cycle you may stay in the Theta state for a period of 5-15 minutes, allowing you to have a flow of thoughts about the events of the previous day or notice the activities that lie ahead for the new day. This period can be extremely productive and a time of very meaningful and creative mental activity.

 

Benefits of Binaural Beats on Your Brain and Body

Each binaural frequency has its properties and advantages that you can use according to your needs. Adapting the rhythms you listen to according to the occasion will promote homeostasis in your body. According to an article on the site www.soundmedicineacademy.com , among the main benefits of binaural beats are,

 

Reduce anxiety

Specifically, listening to frequencies in the Theta or Delta level of binaural beats seems to decrease the anxiety people feel. This effect seems to increase the longer the binaural beats are listened to – to a certain extent – ​​and can be experienced from the first exposure to binaural beats (García-Argibay et al., 2019).

One study showed that study subjects experienced a 26% decrease in their anxiety levels after listening to binaural beats for 20 minutes a day. The study was conducted over a two-week period, suggesting that consistency in applying the treatment is necessary to obtain significant, long-term results.

On the other hand, depending on the severity of the anxiety, binaural beats may not act with the same intensity as a medication for the symptoms. However, when the beats are listened to regularly, they can have a revealing impact.

Increase concentration, cognitive flexibility, prolonged attention and performance in memorization tasks

There are several published studies indicating that listening to binaural beats improves concentration. One study, for example, showed that people who listened to binaural beats for 15 minutes experienced fewer distractions after the experiment ended compared to people who did not listen to them (Kirk et al., 2019).

Cognitive flexibility is the brain's ability to adapt to new, changing, or unforeseen events. But it is also the ability to switch from one way of thinking to another. This is also known as task switching. According to studies, binaural beats can induce greater cognitive flexibility (Homme et al., 2016).

In this study , researchers wanted to find out if listening to binaural beats (SB) could help improve attention span in a blink task. Attentional blink refers to when we have difficulty spotting a second object after we have already paid attention to another. To find out, they divided participants into two groups and had them listen to SB while performing the attentional blink task on three different days.

It turned out that 40 Hz stimulation during training showed faster results compared to 16 Hz stimulation. However, this improvement is not observed immediately, but after the brain has had time to assimilate and consolidate the information during sleep. This indicates that auditory stimulation of Binaural Beats (SB) could be a promising form of non-invasive brain stimulation to enhance training and learning, especially in the field of rehabilitation.

 

Boost creativity

Human creativity depends on a multitude of cognitive processes, some of which are influenced by the neurotransmitter dopamine. This suggests that creativity could be enhanced by interventions that directly modulate dopamine production or transmission, or that affect dopamine-driven processes.

In a 2013 experiment, binaural beats of Alpha and Gamma frequencies were used. The results showed that binaural beats, regardless of the frequency presented, can affect divergent thinking (creativity) but not convergent thinking (focus and direction). Individuals with a low EBR (eye blink rate) benefited the most from stimulation with Alpha binaural beats, while individuals with a high EBR (eye blink rate) were unaffected or even impaired by Alpha and Gamma binaural beats. This suggests that binaural beats, and possibly other forms of cognitive induction, are not suitable for a one-size-fits-all approach, and that individual cognitive control systems should be taken into account when studying methods targeting cognitive enhancement.

 

Improves sleep quality

Here binaural beats in the Theta range can help you fall asleep.

Sound therapy has been used to treat those suffering from insomnia. Listening to the rhythms just before bed can help induce a restful and relaxing sleep.

It would reduce physical symptoms and level of pain perception

All physical ailments have their origin in a signal from the brain. If you attack the root of the problem, the brain, you at least reduce the chances of minor physical ailments affecting it.

Back pain, joint pain, and other aches can be the result of inflammation or high blood sugar levels. As a first step, you should consult your doctor and binaural beats can surely work as complementary medicine to medications and therapies that may be prescribed to you.

Rhythms in the Theta pattern or around 6 Hz will be instrumental in reducing the experience of pain. Scientists are investigating how to harness rhythms in these frequencies for a short-term solution to severe pain problems.

 

Improves mood

We have already learned that sound and music can work as medicine and just listening to music that cheers you up or evokes beautiful emotions can have a very positive effect in reducing depression while increasing feelings of joy and well-being.

In the case of Theta frequency binaural sounds, these would stimulate endorphins in the brain, causing a surge of positive feelings.

 

It induces meditation more easily

Reaching a meditative state is not so simple, especially in these times with so much and constant bombardment of information, achieving it is even more complicated. But it has been proven that listening to Theta frequency rhythms for about 30 minutes can help induce a state of relaxation, preparing you for meditation.

 

Useful tips if you want to take advantage of binaural beats to improve your quality of life

On platforms like Youtube you will find a wide selection of audios with different types of frequencies. Some experiments have shown that for Gamma frequency binaural sounds to have the effect of focusing, memorization and prolonged attention, they must be listened to half an hour before the event that requires any of these functions to prepare your brain in advance.

Some people are extremely sensitive to sounds and can be very disturbed by them. That is why some audios actually come with music where the sounds are included so that the effect on the brain is more subtle, but just as effective.

You don't need to listen to audios all day to activate your brain at the desired frequency. Sometimes half an hour, or an hour is enough, especially if it involves Gamma and Beta frequencies, because the brain gets tired as if it had been in a 1-hour school or university course.

Listen to sounds at a low volume as they should not be dominant and the idea is to help your brain to prepare and focus on the activity, be it work, a state of creativity, meditation or sleep.

If you suffer from seizures, heart problems, or use a pacemaker, it is recommended that you first consult with your physician before trying binaural rhythms.

Knowing your brain wave states can help you enhance your cognitive abilities to take advantage of the specialized characteristics of each state: among them, being mentally productive in a wide range of activities, such as learning and memorizing, staying focused, relaxed or creative, as well as being able to get a restful sleep.