Binaural beats play two slightly different tones or frequencies, one into each of your ears. Your brain then tries to resolve the two frequencies – because the difference is small and because it does things like that!
In the process of doing that, it generates a new frequency which is the difference between the two frequencies it’s actually receiving.
Which sounds complicated. And maybe it is but our brains cope with it without any stress and without us knowing it’s actually happening.
What it means in practice is that your brain goes into a slightly altered state – no drugs or anything weird and it comes back out as completely normally once you stop the process.
But during the process, your brain reaches the state induced by the new frequency – different tracks are designed to help you meditate, unleash creativity, improve focus and much more.
Various scientists have hooked up the brains of volunteers to work out what frequency their brains are working at when they’re in different states.
For instance, a Zen monk will be in a different brain state from someone who’s about to go out and party.
We all go into different brainwave states at different times – we know that deep sleep involves our brain being much slower than light sleep or doing day to day activities.
Scientists, being curious, have worked out the different levels our brains typically achieve for lots of different things and then use binaural beats (sometimes called brainwave “shots”) to induce the same state.
Then they measure whether or not the volunteers brains have done what they expected – which is reach the level they aimed for.
Their studies show that this is the case which means that binaural beats do precisely what they are supposed to do – good news for people like me who’ve been using them on a regular basis for most of this century as it backs up the anecdotal evidence of feeling relaxed or whatever other state I was aiming for.
Our brainwaves are grouped into various levels. They don’t move in strict alphabetical order because of the times the various states were discovered but don’t worry about that.
Beta – this is approximately our normal state but with some heightened awareness. We reach it when we’re focused on something – whether that’s work or sex or anything else that takes our interest. Beta waves have the highest frequency and the range is roughly 15 to 40 Hertz depending on the specific activity. At the high end, that activity is nervousness and anxiety so if that’s a problem for you, it’s worth trying to chill out and relax, Which you can do with almost no effort on your part using this system.
Alpha – these are slower than Beta waves and are typically found when you’re awake but relaxed. They’re our main brainwave pattern when we’re calm and the range of 9 to 14 Hertz is often found when we meditate. The range explains why a lot of meditation programs have different levels that get progressively deeper as you go through the systems.
Theta – deep relaxation and even light sleep is associated with this range, as are the really deep levels of meditation that can be achieved. The frequency range here is between 5 and 8 Hertz and you’re normally in the Theta range when you’re drifting off to sleep or sometimes if you’re day dreaming.
Delta – this is associated with really deep sleep. The range here is between 1.5 and 4 Hertz and if you’re having trouble sleeping then it’s definitely worth investing in a Delta brainwave track to listen to.
The Delta level is one of the tests that scientists have used to check that binaural beats really do work – they can use all their usual tests to check that the volunteers really are in a state of deep sleep.
Personally. I’ve been using binaural beats at a variety of frequencies for a long time and – whilst it’s not a scientific test – I can vouch for their effectiveness in getting me quickly into various states.
But – as is often said – the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Or, in this case, trying it out for yourself.
You can download a free brainwave MP3 from this link – there are 5 different ones to choose from so you can pick one and find out how well it works for you.
What it means in practice is that your brain goes into a slightly altered state – no drugs or anything weird and it comes back out as completely normally once you stop the process.
