REM sleep itself is mostly composed of beta wave and other activity that’s similar to an alert, waking brain. Theta: This brainwave pattern is associated with deep relaxation and with some stages of sleep, including the lighter stages of non-REM (NREM) sleep. Alpha waves are associated with states of meditation (your yoga class probably puts you in an alpha state), and also with our ability to be creative. Slower and lower in frequency (between 9-14 hertz), alpha waves are dominant when we’re calm and relaxed, but still alert. At the higher levels of this range, beta waves are associated with anxiety.Īlpha: Alpha brainwave patterns are associated with a state of wakeful relaxation. Beta waves are fast, with a higher frequency (between 15-40 hertz). When you’re analyzing an issue at work, you’re probably in a beta-dominant state. When beta brainwave patterns dominate, we’re primed to focus and concentrate, to make decisions and think analytically. Our thoughts, feelings, and actions are all expressed through this constant neural communication-so our brainwaves are associated with how we feel and what we can do at any given moment.įor the purpose of this discussion, we’ll talk about four major types of brainwaves:īeta: These brainwaves are associated with high levels of alertness and arousal. To understand how binaural beats may help relaxation, mood, mental performance and sleep, you need to know a little bit about brain waves and what they indicate about our state of consciousness, emotion, and mental activity.īrainwaves are created from the pulses of electrical activity our neurons exhibit as they communicate with each other. Listening to these sounds that create a low-frequency tone, research indicates, triggers a slow-down to brainwave activity-and that may help you relax, lower your anxiety, and can make it easier for you to fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Why is exposure to these soundwaves helpful to sleep and relaxation? Science shows that exposure to binaural beats can create changes in the brain’s degree of arousal. But you don’t need to hear the sound for your brain to be affected by it. That’s a very low-frequency soundwave-one you can’t actually hear. If your left ear receives a 300-hertz tone and your right ear receives a 280-hertz tone, your brain will process and absorb a 10-hertz tone. In each ear, you receive sound at a slightly different frequency (often accompanied by some relaxing background sounds). You listen to binaural beats using headphones. Your brain, in a sense, “tunes” to this new frequency. The theory is that when exposed to two different frequencies at the same time, one in each ear, what the brain actually perceives a single tone that is the difference between the two separate frequencies. Binaural beats are a technique of combining two slightly different sound frequencies to create the perception of a single new frequency tone. Sounds like a new music genre, right? Not exactly. Patients often tell me that they fall asleep to relaxing music, they seem to find it really helps them let go of active thoughts and quiet their mind-which, like yours probably does, tends to race from one thing to the next all day long (aka I can’t turn off my brain syndrome).īinaural beats are a fascinating and exciting technology that harnesses the brain’s responsiveness to sound in order to move you into a state of deep relaxation, relieve anxiety, and help you sleep better. You’ve heard me talk before about how sound can make a difference to sleep. Have you heard of binaural beats? It’s a technique that’s been around for a while, but recently is getting a lot of attention for its ability to lower stress and improve sleep, as well as to improve your cognitive performance.
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