What Are Binaural Beats And How Binaural Beats Work
Posted on 10-11-2020 01:26 AM
What Are Binaural Beats And How Binaural Beats Work?
What are binaural beats? Binaural beats are a tone created in the brain when it’s presented with two different frequencies at the same time.
The state of your brain directly affects how well you perform activities and process information. If you want to achieve a meditative state, get a better night’s sleep, activate your body’s natural healing processes, or become more focused and productive, you simply need to change the state of your brain. Put simply, binaural beats are a form of rhythmic and repetitive sound frequencies which put you into a meditative state easily.
Binaural beats cause momentary change to the brain waves. Therefore, they do not damage your brain and are quite safe to use. They simply help encourage your brain to attain a brainwave state it’s fully capable of attaining all on its own.
In 1839, German experimenter Heinrich Wilhelm Dove discovered that illusory "beats" are perceived when pure tones of slightly different frequency are separately and simultaneously presented to each ear. Dove's insight was to realize that since there is no acoustic mixing of the tones, the perceived beats must exist solely within the auditory system, specifically that part which processes binaural or "stereo" sound.
Although he found this interesting, Professor Dove never fully understood the power of his discovery. While research in to binaural beats continued after that, the subject was viewed largely as no more than a scientific curiosity. Pilot studies reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and the Journal of Alternative Therapies In Health and Medicine published in January 2001 and February 2007 respectively, showed binaural beats caused a “significant reduction” in the anxiety of their subjects.
Believe it or not, it’s actually pretty easy to safely alter how your brain is functioning. Without taking any medication or drug, you can naturally shift the speed and intensity of your thoughts by listening to specified tones that induce different brainwave states. What are binaural beats?
How Binaural Beats Work
How binaural beats work is quite fascinating. Why? Binaural beats work by sending two different frequencies to each of our ears. When hearing these two frequencies simultaneously, your brain creates a third ‘phantom’ tone out of the mathematical difference. These binaural beats are produced when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played separately into each ear. When the brain receives the signal from the two slightly different tones it mixes the tones together to form only one tone.
However, because the tones are slightly different in frequency this merging of the sounds is not exact and a beat type effect is produced in the brain. The binaural beats that are produced have the same frequency as the difference between the two original tones.
Here’s an example: if a 310 hertz sound frequency is sent to one ear, and a 315 hertz frequency is sent to the other ear, your brain will process these sounds in a way that results in hearing one 5 hertz frequency. Your brainwaves will then synchronize to this 5 hertz sound frequency.
These simple tones can naturally shift the way your brain processes information. And they can be used for a variety of purposes, from increased productivity to better, more restful sleep. Headphones are required because you can’t get the binaural effect any other way. Your headphones should be as low as possible, just loud enough to hear both tones and the pulsating or wobbling sound. You may not actually hear anything when listening to certain binaural beats. Turning up the volume lounder will not affect your brainwaves any faster, or in a more powerful way.
Headphones are essential when listening to binaural beats. This is because during an entrainment session each ear is exposed to a sound of a different frequency. Therefore, those trying to tune the brain using binaural beats should invest in a pair of good quality stereo headphones.
There are two kinds of headphones: the close and open kind. The closed design, with their sealed cups, cancels all external sounds. They also prevent sound leakage, which means that others won’t be able to hear what you are listening to. Hence, they are the preferred option for an optimum experience.
Different Brain Wave States
To reach a desired state of mind, you need to first know the brain frequencies and how they will make you feel. Afterward, you just need to focus and associate the melody that you chose to listen with the state you want to be. There are five (5) brainwave states.
Your brainwaves dictate how you feel and what you are most capable of doing at any given point of time. The ability to entrain them ensures that you can get rid of potentially negative mental states restoring them with healthy, helpful psychological states.
Lambda and epsilon waves do not normally occur under normal waking conditions in normal humans. Due to the extremely high frequency and very small amplitude they are hard to detect with an EEG if they occur at all. The EEG showed lambda brain wave activity and it looked like as if the lambda wave was "riding" on the epsilon wave if one "zooms out".
Epsilon waves have been found in extremely deep states of meditation. They are connected with a feeling of complete bliss and compassion. If a meditator reaches the epsilon brain wave state of mind one can experience extreme spiritual and personal insight and inspiration. It can also act as a pain relief.
Are Binaural Beats Safe?
Are binaural beats safe to use? Yes, binaural beats are safe and not dangerous providing you are at home, relaxed, and laid down when using them. Binaural beats work much better when following a healthy lifestyle and with some experience in meditation. By and large, binaural beats are a safe and noninvasive method for helping us fall asleep.
Because binaural beats change the way our brains work and think for a short period of time there is often worries of danger. However, binaural beats pose no danger whatsoever and are perfectly safe. Binaural beats aren’t chemicals, so your body can’t create a dependency.
Safety is a common concern when trying a new therapy or drug. People worry about the adverse effects of listening to binaural beats for extended durations. Binaural beats are safe as it does include taking any oral medication, and tests conducted show that their use has only realized positive results.
Binaural beats alter the brainwaves but do not cause any damage to them. The changes in brainwave patterns are also temporary. However, since binaural beats interfere with the brainwaves, they should be avoided by select groups as a safety precaution.
That being said, there are a couple of risk factors associated with binaural beats that you should be aware of. For instance, those who are prone to epileptic seizures should refrain from using binaural beats as the frequencies may trigger abnormal neurological impulses that cause epileptic seizures.
Additionally, binaural beats can affect heart rhythms, so those who have a pacemaker or other cardiac issue should speak with a doctor before using binaural beats for sleep or relaxation.
Do Binaural Beats Actually Work?
Here’s what you might be thinking: binaural beats just sound like some new age fad. Actually, binaural beats were discovered in the 1800’s and trance-like music itself has existed for thousands of years. Not only that, but binaural beats have been supported by scientific research.
From the trance-inducing sounds of drum beats in tribal shamanic cultures to the repetitive chanting of tibetan monks, rhythmical sound has extremely powerful healing benefits. Put simply, binaural beats are a form of rhythmic and repetitive sound frequencies which put you into a meditative state easily. It was a physicist named heinrich wilhelm dove who discovered the way binaural beats work in 1839.
Now, if you’re reading this and thinking, “this all sounds well and good, but cut to the chase… do binaural beats actually work?” the answer is yes — across the board.
Now, I know what you’re wondering: “do binaural beats work? like do they actually work?” The answer to your question is a resounding yes. I don’t want to overstate their effectiveness, but in my experience, they work extremely well. Some people are a little bit skeptical at first, but after about just 10 minutes of listening to the binaural beat you can literally feel the difference. Your brain may begin to tingle, and a sense of calm may actually wash over you. You may feel a new sense of happiness also.
Binaural Beats Benefits
Binaural beats benefits are many. Binaural beats have been proven to be beneficial with a huge range of psychological and physiological ailments including managing pain, improving mood, and enhancing learning in classrooms.
Most notably for many people, they have been shown to be very effective at helping people sleep. One of the first pieces of research into using binaural beats as a sleeping aid was in a paper called "Tests Of The Sleep Induction Technique" published in 1975 by Dr. Arthur Hastings. He noted the effects of subjects who listened to a tape containing binaural beats starting from beta slowly descending to delta.
Using an EEG machine he was able to monitor the subject’s brainwaves as they listened to the tape, becoming increasingly relaxed before falling asleep. He concluded by stating "patterns in the various stages suggested that the tape was influencing the subject’s state".
There have been many people that have reported good results using binaural beats. However there are a certain percentage of people that claim they’ve gotten no results. What has been seen however is that with consistent, repeated use, results will be seen over time.
The benefits of binaural beats are many from making you feel good about improving cognitive function. There is a lot of research backing up these claims. What’s more. They are easy to use. Not just that, they can be easily incorporated into one’s daily routine. And with no known side effects, you have nothing to lose.
The July 2005 edition of the Medical Journal Anaesthesia reported on a study that examined whether binaural beats can reduce anxiety in patients before surgery. It found that patients who listened to the binaural beats had decreased their anxiety by 26.3%, way above and compared to the reported placebo effect of 3.8%.
What are binaural beats and how binaural beats work? Binaural beats are a fascinating and exciting technology. Now you know what are binaural beats and how binaural beats work.
