Binaural Beats
From highly intricate acoustic design of religious structures of the Bronze age, to Tibetan singing bowls, from Buddhist chants to Aum meditations in yoga – ancient practices, especially in the east, have accredited and revered the prowess of sound as a potent medium to relax, control and stimulate the mind.
Over the past century, scientific research also revealed that our perception and understanding of the world is directly and indubitably connected to our brainwaves. The physical manifestation of our thoughts and emotions is essentially a product of communication between the billions of neurons in our brain. When large masses of neurons communicate, they create corresponding electrical current which travels through enormous networks in our brain to create an electrical pulse called brainwaves. The information these brainwaves convey is measured by their speed or cycles per second that are denoted by the measuring unit Hertz (Hz).
Our brainwaves constantly change their pitch or shift from one state to another and impact the activities we engage in and how they make us feel. Any dissonance or imbalance in this process can lead to emotional, psychological or neuro-physical distress. Scientific research has linked over activity in certain areas of the brain with impulsive behavior, anxiety, chronic pain, aggressive or violent behavior and spasticity; similarly under activity has been linked to poor concentration, depression, insomnia are various other disorders.
The Birth of Brainwave Optimization with Binaural Beats
The human brain has a tendency to process fragments of sound into a continuous whole. This propensity is the root cause of what we call a binaural beat. The word binaural means “relating to both ears” and binaural beats are an auditory illusion. Auditory illusions occur when we hear something that doesn’t exist or exists in a vastly different form than how we perceive it.
This concept can be traced back to a Prussian meteorologist called Heinrich Wilhelm Dove and his scientific findings published in Repertorium der Physik (1839). While the concept garnered interest and remained in the domain of active research for over a century, it was only in 1973, that it gained momentum as a powerful tool to influence cognition and nuero-psychology with revelations in Gerald Oster’s research.
By the late 1970s, Binaural beats became a soundwave phenomenon, a part of what is commonly referred to as brainwave entrainment. But before we delve any deeper into binaural beats, it is vital to note some axiomatic concepts to understand how binaural beats work.
The Five Brain Wavess
The first step is to understand the five different types of brainwaves or brain states which we experience, simplistically speaking, they are.
Delta State Brain Waves
(0.5 Hz to 3 Hz) – Think dreamless sleep or deep meditative states that yogis enter! Delta waves suspend external awareness and are present in the healing state of the body as it sleeps, this is one reason why good quality (deep) sleep is imperative to rejuvenation and regeneration.
Theta State Brain Waves
- (3 Hz to 8 Hz) – Think dreaming or sub-conscious activities. Theta brainwaves are active when we are in the dream state of sleep, during deep meditation or even when we daydream. They are also present when we perform perfunctory chores like brushing teeth or taking a bath when the brain can detach itself from a routine task because it is second nature or habitual.
Alpha State Brain Waves
- (8 Hz to 12 Hz) – Think being at ease and feeling tranquil. Alpha brainwaves were the first to be discovered and they are the easiest to detect.They are prevalent when you are about to fall asleep or are doing something relaxing.
Beta State Brain Waves
- (12 Hz to 38 Hz) – Think attending a meeting or doing your taxes. Beta state is the fast activity state observed when we engage with the outside world. This is when we are fully alert and performing cognitive tasks, making decisions and tackling problems.
Gamma State Brain Waves
- Gamma State (38 Hz to 42 Hz) – Think Dalai Llama! This elusive state baffled scientific researchers for very long because it is generated above the frequency of neuronal firing and its origins still remain shrouded in speculation and mystery. Initially, it was dismissed as ‘brain noise’ until further research revealed it to be present and vigorous in all states of high virtue like altruism, compassion or universal love. These brainwaves are easily and abundantly observed in highly spiritual people like Indian yogis or Buddhist and Tibetan monks.
At any given moment, there is an entire spectrum of frequency produced in the brain. It doesn’t function on any one standalone frequency. Most people aren’t deficient in producing these frequencies. Instead, it is the preponderant frequency which establishes the ‘mood’ or mental state people experience. Binaural beats can be used to boost a particular frequency to temporarily shift this mental state.
Binaural beats can be used to boost a particular frequency to temporarily shift this mental state.
The Essence of Binaural Beat Therapy
Binaural beat therapy is a relatively new-age self-help method of listening to special audio recordings that have been created with the goal of achieving specific brain states that promote relaxation, improve concentration, decrease stress or mitigate anxiety. This special audio, called binaural beat audio, is produced in a manner where the listener hears two separate tones in each ear which in turn causes the brain to perceive a binaural beat – a third (imaginary) frequency or auditory illusion which is the difference between the two tones. For example, if the left ear is hearing a 197 Hz tone and the right ear is hearing a 190 Hz tone, then the brain perceives the binaural beat at 7 Hz (197 – 190 = 7).
Binaural beats are only produced when both the tones are below 1000 Hz. The binaural beat itself, must be in the 1 to 30 Hz range to produce brainwave patterns that are similar to what one would experience in the aforementioned brain states.
This is based on the notion that listening to any sound in the 1 to 30 Hz range for more than ten minutes causes the brain waves to synchronize with it. This can bring balance to the left and right hemispheres of the brain (called neural entrainment) which results in optimizing mental and emotional health by:
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- A state of deep relaxation or meditation
- Improvement in sleep quality and to alleviate insomnia
- Better focus or concentration
Well, what does the science say?
There is a plethora of anecdotal evidence from hundreds of thousands of regular practitioners who have found serenity and solace in binaural beat therapy. Multiple studies have reiterated that these frequencies exist and they really do work in tandem with out moods in the aforementioned manner. A 2015 study[1] reported that binaural beats had a significant effect on vigilance and mood. While some claims still need more research or a larger sample size of subjects to establish a consensus, there is ample scientific literature to affirm that binaural beats are valuable tools – especially for relaxation, meditation or yoga and can be a viable complimentary treatment to conventional therapy for anxiety.
Ample and satisfactory data suggests binaural beats are indeed favorable and effective in relaxation and managing a wide array of problems ranging from stress, anxiety and even tinnitus (constant ringing in ears). In fact, a meta-analysis[2] of 22 binaural beat studies was published in Psychological Research (2018) which indicated that binaural beats are indeed capable of promoting relaxation, pain relief and reducing anxiety.
Sounds interesting, so how do I begin?
Now that binaural beats have made it to your DoCalm To Do List, all you need is good quality stereo headphones or ear buds, a music playing device, a few minutes of time and binaural beat audio files that can be easily found online (YouTube or Spotify playlists are a good start). These files are created / compiled and uploaded by audio producers to various online platforms and each piece is created using different combinations of frequencies and sound to create a particular effect. Since there are no universal guidelines, in most cases, the audio producers themselves provide instructions about how, when and how long to listen to the audio and what is the intended effect one can expect. You may need to experiment a little with different producers, frequencies, sound sources and duration before you settle on a playlist of binaural beats that suit you.
Practical Tips to Use Sound for Calm and Relaxation
As long as you don’t listen to music at high volume for extended periods of time, binaural beats are completely safe and have no known side-effects. However, here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your experience:
- Access high quality binaural beats from reputed sources.
- Use stereo headphones or ear buds. Binaural beats are only effective when heard in a silent environment.
- Be aware of the activities you perform while you isten to binaural beats. Activities requiring alertness will be best served by….
- Start with 20 to 30 minute sessions and gradually work your way to 60 or 90 minutes. You know the saying… Calm wasn’t built in a day.
- Be aware of your initial integration of this new modality of relaxation. You may begin feeling uneasy, overwhelmed. Notice any physical discomfort or increased anxiety and take a break when necessary.
- Be cautious of using binaural beats if you have epilepsy or other neurological conditions.
- Children and young adults have inherently high brain sensitivity, so do a ‘patch test’ before you settle in for longer sessions.
- If you are playing binural beats in a public space, be aware of others’ response as each individual will have a different response and level of integration.
Do Calm and Binaural On!
Binaural beats have grown in popularity as a brainwave therapy technique and gained popularity in the past decade as a valuable tool for relaxation, stress and anxiety management. Each year more research appears to vouch for its efficacy. Binural Beats have positioned themselves as an appealing alternative to meditation or other advanced methods of deep relaxation that require persistence and perseverance. Yet at the same time, they can be effectively used in conjunction with yoga, meditation and other relaxation techniques or therapies.
Mankind has employed and harnessed the benefits of sound and vibrations through music, this isn’t vastly different, it is only more specific and targeted. It is safe, free, accessible and checks all the boxes to help build a healthy, happy and harmonious you.
References:
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428073/#B1
[2] Garcia-Argibay, M., Santed, M.A. & Reales, J.M. Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychological Research 83, 357–372 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-018-1066-8
