Binaural beats are created when two tones of different frequencies are played separately into each ear through headphones, leading the brain to perceive a third tone—the binaural beat. The binaural beat is the difference between the two frequencies. Binaural beats work through a process called brainwave entrainment, also known as neural entrainment, Paul Citarella, executive vice president and chief technical officer of the Monroe Institute, told The Epoch Times.
He said that brainwave entrainment is “presenting some kind of rhythmic stimulus to your brain, and your brainwaves start to follow along.” A simple example is a beating drum. “If someone’s beating a drum, let’s say six times a second, what happens is, that sound is reaching your ears six times a second, and your brain—your neurons in your auditory cortex—are firing to receive that sound, or in response to that sound,“ Citarella said.
”And what happens is as you listen to that over time, the rest of your brain waves start to follow along to that rhythm,” he added. Other examples include rhythmic chanting, and drumming that go back to spiritual traditions through the ages, he said. Delta (0.
5-4 Hz): Sleep and dreaming Theta (4-8 Hz): Deeply relaxed, inward-focused Alpha (8-12 Hz): Very relaxed, passive attention Beta (12-35 Hz): Busy, active mind Gamma (35+ Hz): Problem solving, concentration Results were measured by a brain wave test. While 15 Hz binaural beats increased accuracy in the participant’s responses and strengthened connections in the brain related to memory and attention, 5 and 10 Hz binaural beats had the opposite effect and decreased accuracy. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology at Stanford School of Medicine, notes in the Huberman Lab Podcast that multiple peer-reviewed studies have shown that 40 Hz binaural beats can improve focus and concentration due to increasing levels of dopamine and acetylcholine in the brain.
Huberman has popularized the use of binaural beats, particularly for focus and concentration. These neurochemicals are associated with improved attention and memory. Huberman has popularized the use of binaural beats, particularly for focus and concentration.
These neurochemicals are associated with improved attention and memory. “It’s really great for helping people get better sleep. So, when you go to sleep, your brainwaves follow a certain pattern—you start by having more Alpha brainwaves—and then you go through these different phases of sleep—and we can help that process with the entrainment,” Citarella said.
“People have studied meditators, and they exhibit different kinds of brainwaves in different states,” Citarella said. When people meditate, their brainwaves are generally in theta (between 4 and 8 Hz) and if you were trying to give someone an experience of deep meditation, you would target binaural beats in that range, he added. By targeting binaural beats in that range, you could potentially help people attain the benefits associated with meditation, like reduced stress, improved sleep, and lower blood pressure.
What makes binaural beats helpful is that they are like a sort of training wheels that help people get into meditative states more easily, Citarella said. You can get to these states with regular meditation, but developing a meditation practice takes significant time and energy that not everyone can commit to, he added. He uses binaural beats to entrain brainwaves to specific frequencies to achieve homeostasis in the autonomic nervous system, Thompson told The Epoch Times.
He uses a machine that allows him to visualize heart rate variability in real time and an EEG machine that measures brainwaves of different frequencies in the brain. Use comfortable headphones to receive different frequencies in each ear. Find a quiet place to relax, unless using for focus during work or study.
Choose your goal (relaxation, focus, sleep) and appropriate frequency (see chart above). Explore free or low-cost binaural beat apps and YouTube videos. Start slowly and be patient—effects may not be immediate.
Experiment with different beats and frequencies to find what works for you. While generally safe, listen to your body and adjust if needed. Consult a professional for guidance on using binaural beats for specific conditions.
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