Binaural Beats

[Mel]

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 2, Issue 10 (April 2009).

Binaural Beats
by Maria (Gidig)

What are binaural beats?

In rather broad terms, binaural beats are specifically made frequencies, formed to change your brainwaves -- which control your state of mind -- how your brain reacts, and more. Binaural beats have been acknowledged since 1893 by a German physicist, Heinrich Wilhelm Dove. Since then, they have been extensively researched with a significant amount of data collected.


Brainwaves

Right now, your brain is producing brainwaves, regardless of what 'frequency' it is at. Though it is generally a low frequency between 1 and 40Hz average, though it can go higher, it's rather rare. These frequencies are associated with various states of mind such as alertness, concentration, awareness and more.

Following is a chart which shows and briefly describes each type of brainwave.


Type Frequency Description

Beta 12-40 Hz. Alertness, concentration, cognition. Your mind is sharp and focused.

Alpha 6-12 Hz. Relaxation, creativity. Your awareness expands, but you’re relaxed--not asleep.

Theta 4-7 Hz. Meditation, relaxed--not asleep. memory, intuition. This is the state right before sleep, You are very relaxed, yet not unconscious.

Delta 1-4 Hz. Sleeping, healing. This is when you’re entirely asleep. It "detaches" your mind and allows your body fix itself.


How to change your brainwaves

This is where the term binaural beats comes in. When you play one frequency in one ear, and a different frequency in another, your brain calculates the difference and makes a new frequency from that. For example, if in one ear you play 400Hz, and in another 410Hz, your brain will automatically take the difference (10Hz) and use that as it’s brainwaves instead of creating it’s own. This is necessary because your brain can not recognize tones that low, such as 1 - 40Hz.


How should I go about this?

The easiest and most used common is to use a CD. For example, Hemi-Sync CD’s have the tones already set up to various sounds of music, just for your needs. Some help with concentration, others with sleep, and still others with simply helping you relax. There are other CD’s and files you can download that have the same effects.

Keep in mind that because you need one frequency in one ear, and another frequency in the other, you will need to use headphones.


How is this beneficial to me?

There are various ways binaural beats are helpful. They can help with pain management, sleep, concentration, meditation, and more. It can help with diagnosed conditions such as ADD and ADHD. It's a lot safer than taking a medication to "cure" some of these symptoms.


What should I be aware of?

Binaural beats are changing your brainwaves! It is not safe to use while operating heavy machinery, so don’t listen to this while driving. Don’t use it in place of something your medical doctor has told you to do, without speaking to them first.

Otherwise, have fun with them! See if they work for you. The money for various CDs is worth it. These CDs in stores are well worth your money, but there are also variations of binaural beats that are available to download online. Do make sure you’re getting them from a reliable source, so you’re not buying something that is not going to work. Try them while you’re working, before you go to bed, when you first wake up, or any time which suits you.

Sources:
http://www.brainsync.com/brainlab_delta.asp
http://www.assistingsounds.com/index...in_page=page_2
http://www.hemi-sync.com/