10 Incredible Benefits of Binaural Beats

By Beth Rush

You’re used to listening to things at the same frequency. Music in your headphones or the sound of someone talking registers at one specific frequency, but what happens when you hear two things at different frequencies? It produces a mental illusion called a binaural beat.

This article explores some of the most helpful benefits of binaural beats that anyone can use to improve their physical or mental well-being. Work with your doctor or therapist if you have any questions regarding these effects on your health.

What Are Binaural Beats?

Binaural beats are two sounds happening simultaneously but at different frequencies. They also occur purposefully as therapy or a health treatment plan.

For example, a binaural beats patient might hear one sound at a 400 hertz (Hz) tone in their right ear and a 410 Hz tone in their left ear. The difference is a 10 Hz tone, which is the binaural beat. Your brain activity then syncs to that 10 Hz tone, resulting in specific mental and physical health alterations.

You can enjoy the benefits of binaural beats by listening through headphones-man relaxing and wearing headphones

Types of Beat Ranges

These are the names for varying beat ranges that may be better for some people and not others, depending on the intensity of your treatment plan.

Delta

Delta brain waves happen when hearing a .5–4 Hz binaural beat and are most commonly used among young kids or people with ADHD.

Theta

Your mind will enter a theta binaural beat wave if you enter a 4–8 Hz frequency state. It can benefit people of all ages.

Alpha

Alpha frequency states occur between 8 Hz and 14 Hz. They’re often recommended for anyone who needs assistance in becoming more productive.

Beta

You’ve entered a beat frequency state when you hear a 14–30 Hz binaural beat wave. It’s a more intense form of auditory therapy for people needing additional focus.

Gamma

Gamma states of mind happen between 30 Hz and 100 Hz. This intense auditory experience is typically only recommended for people suffering from severe memory recall due to PTSD or neuro conditions.

Sound waves frequency with bright white light in the middle and blue light around the edges

Mental Health Benefits of Binaural Beats

Read about the mental health benefits of binaural beats to figure out whether they could help you along your journey to improved inner peace. Depending on what your doctor or therapist recommends, they may work well alongside existing treatments, therapies, or medications.

1. Reduced Stress

Stress affects the mind and body on a cellular level. It increases your cortisol production to keep you in fight-or-flight mode, which would better help you survive in moments of high stress.

A recent study found that people who listened to a theta binaural beat (TBB) during an intense period of self-reported stress had more positive parasympathetic dominance than participants who engaged in another stress test. The frequency reduces their acute stress response, resulting in an improved mental health state.

2. Improved Meditative Focus

Individuals who struggle to focus while meditating might have easier experiences while listening to theta binaural beats. A 2017 study showed increased cortex activity for participants with theta beat exposure, which helped participants enter a meditative state.

Learn about the benefits of meditation here.

Binaural beats can be helpful for meditation-woman sitting cross-legged with eyes closed and sitting on the shore front

3. More Positive Thoughts

As binaural beats reduce a person’s stress and help them focus, they’ll think more positive thoughts. Redirecting the intentionality of your thoughts improves your dialectical thinking and makes it easier to combat depression, relationship conflicts, or inner turmoil.

4. Increased Relaxation

Sound has a powerful influence on someone’s mental state because the human brain relies on rhythm to process auditory input. Specifically, researchers saw decreased brain activity at a 10 Hz binaural beat above the Gamma range (215–225 Hz frequencies).

5. Additional Creativity

Creativity is difficult to channel when anxious thoughts or stressful feelings consume your mind. After listening to binaural beats, the improved relaxation and focus make it easier to participate in creative activities.

Binaural beats can help improve creativity-paintbrushes, paints, and a blank painting book

Physical Health Benefits of Binaural Beats

Binaural beats also have physical health benefits, especially when incorporated into your routine. See if your quality of life would improve from any of these benefits.

1. Less Insomnia

Many people with insomnia can’t slow their thoughts or calm their minds. The participants experienced anxiolysis without anesthesia when researchers played binaural beat audio at a beta frequency. Repeating this during nightly insomnia bouts could improve someone’s ability to fall asleep.

2. Better Memory Recall

Researchers in a 2019 study wanted to see if electrocortical activity could enhance brain functions and make it easier to recall memories. They found that beta frequencies helped people remember more words, while theta frequencies resulted in fewer correctly recalled words.

This could be a useful tool for anyone with weakened memory retention abilities. It could also help people in therapy sessions work through suppressed memories to process and heal from trauma. Discuss the possibility with your therapist or doctor if you think you might benefit from this therapy.

3. Decreased Physical Pain

You might not think auditory input relieves pain, but a 2020 study found those exact results. When playing a theta rhythm for participants with chronic pain, they reported significantly decreased pain stimulation after 30 minutes of binaural beat exposure.

Binaural beats could be an excellent addition to pain treatment plans alongside any medications or therapies prescribed by your doctor.

Binaural beats can help you feel better physically and mentally-woman skipping through field in nature

4. ASMR calming effects

Many people enjoy autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) content. It can make them feel relaxed, but binaural beats cause the same relaxation with varying decibel ratios. You can listen to various frequencies to see if they result in ASMR responses when you need to calm yourself before going to sleep or entering stressful situations.

5. Improved Reasoning

Beta frequency beats have increased accuracy in study participants when researchers wanted to know if binaural beats could improve a person’s cognitive functions. The heightened executive functioning enhances reasoning abilities, which may help you if you are struggling in therapy sessions.

Potential Side Effects of Binaural Beats

Although binaural beats have many helpful side effects, some people may react negatively. Consider these potential symptoms when deciding if this type of auditory treatment is right for you.

Pink and blue sound waves-the sound frequency is related to specific binaural beats benefits

1. Hearing Loss

After turning on your preferred frequency, you may not feel anything at first. Be cautious when turning up the volume. Playing binaural beats too loud could result in hearing loss due to decibel damage to your ear drums.

2. Epileptic Seizures

Although it’s rare, some people have musicogenic epilepsy. It’s a condition where seizures happen after the person perceives specific tempos and pitches, which is what binaural beats are. Check with your doctor if you have epilepsy to determine if this is a potential side effect for you.

3. Depression

The above research associates binaural beats with increased positive thinking, but some people may experience depression when listening to specific frequencies. One study found that participants who heard a 10 Hz binaural beat felt more depressive emotions than others.

The difference between the participants wasn’t significant enough to cause a change in binaural beat methodology, but it’s worth noting that it’s a potential side effect at that frequency.

Consider Listening to Binaural Beats

There are many positive benefits of binaural beats for your mind and body that could improve your quality of life. Consider these side effects and how binaural beats might help you when determining if you should add them to your daily life. Your doctor or therapist can also help you find the right frequencies if they approve of this treatment option.

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Beth Rush

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