What Are Binaural Beats?
Both binaural beats and brain waves have become popular terms in the meditation and hypnosis community. Many people are excited about their use and benefits. But perhaps you have been wondering, what exactly are binaural beats? I will explain more in this blog.
Binaural beats
People use the term “binaural beats” to describe audio that has two different frequencies on each side of the headphones. This creates a phantom frequency created by the brain. For example, if your left ear hears a sound at 440 Hz and your right ear hears a sound at 444 Hz, your brain thinks it hears a sound at 4 Hz. This is because your brain works out the difference between the two sounds. By listening to these beats, we can influence the type of brainwaves we experience. This is helpful because different brainwaves can help us in different ways. So, what are brainwaves exactly?
Brain waves
Your brain cells use electric signals to create thoughts, feelings, and actions. When these cells work together, they create waves called brain waves. Scientists can measure these waves using a method called EEG. They discovered that there are 5 different types of brain waves with very significant effects on our lives, influencing our moods and level of inspiration.
5 different brain waves & characteristics
- Gamma 35+ Hz — high-level information processing (not much is known about it)
- Beta 12-35 Hz — normal waking consciousness – state of alert
- Alpha 8-21 Hz — deep relaxation – concentration
- Theta 4-8 Hz — deep meditation and light sleep – creativity
- Delta 0.5-4 Hz — deep sleep – unconscious mind
Why use binaural beats?
We can use them to target one of these brainwave types, depending on our needs. For example, we can listen to Alpha sounds while studying to make concentration easier. This works by listening to two different frequencies, that activate the brain to create a phantom frequency between 8 and 21 Hz. For that reason binaural beats can be very powerful. After all, you can help yourself and your clients with binaural beats to reach intentions much easier.
Where to get binaural beats?
Many online places offer binaural beats to listen to. Such as:
- Spotify
- InsightTimer meditation app
- Apple Store Binaural Beats app
- YouTube
If you are looking for royalty-free binaural beats, to use in your own audio recordings and creations or to use with your clients, then browse through our Restful Mind Binaural Beats Music.
Written by Maura ten Hoopen
Founder of Restful Mind || Meditation + Hypnosis Music and Blogs
Maura ten Hoopen is the talented composer and founder of Restful Mind! She pursued her passion for music by graduating from dance music production at the Herman Brood Academy in the Netherlands. Her royalty-free relaxing music is a reflection of her passionate approach to meditation music. She also created a community by starting the Restful Mind blog written by coaches, for coaches.
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