What are binaural beats, and how do they work?
Binaural beat therapy is an emerging form of sound wave therapy. It makes use of the fact that the right and left ear each receive a slightly different frequency tone, yet the brain perceives these as a single tone.
Advocates of this type of therapy currently recommend it for the treatment of anxiety, stress, and related disorders. This self-help treatment is usually available in the form of audio recordings that a person listens to on stereo headphones.
There are five different categories of frequencies.
# Delta frequency: Binaural beats in the delta frequency operate at a frequency of 0.5–4 Hz for a dreamless sleep. In the study, people who received a delta pattern frequency during sleep entered a deeper stage of sleep.
# Theta frequency: The frequency of 4–7 Hz. Theta patterns contribute to improved meditation, creativity, and sleep in the rapid eye movement (REM) phase. # Alpha frequency: Binaural beats in the alpha frequency are at a frequency of 7–13 Hz and may encourage relaxation.
# Beta frequency: Binaural beats on this frequency are of 13–30 Hz. This frequency range may help promote concentration and alertness. However, it can also increase anxiety at the higher end of the range.
# Gamma frequency: This frequency pattern accounts for a range of 30–50 Hz. These frequencies promote maintenance of arousal while a person is awake.
Benefits
The purpose of using binaural beats therapy may differ among individuals. Some people may need help decreasing their anxiety, while others might want to increase their concentration or deepen their level of meditation.
The potential benefits are:
*reduced stress and anxiety
*increased focus, concentration, and motivation
*improved confidence
*better long term memory after exposure to *beta pattern frequencies *deeper meditation
*enhanced psychomotor performance and mood