Let’s admit it, meditation isn’t always easy. For something that requires you to simply sit and focus on your breath, we all know how hard it is to quiet the constant noise in your brain. With the physical and mental benefits that come from meditation, it’s a practice that is worth sticking with.
One way to make meditation easier? Meditating with binaural beats is a new technique that’s been taking the wellness world by storm. Keep reading to learn all about this fascinating auditory phenomenon that could help you relax and calm down even quicker.
What are Binaural Beats?
Don’t worry, it’s not new software or pricey meditation gadget; binaural beats are an auditory phenomenon that has become increasingly popular for reducing stress, helping people sleep, increasing focus, and more. Think of it as your meditation sidekick.
Binaural beats result from combining two different sound frequencies, one tone in the left ear and one in the right. When your brain hears these two tones, it creates a third tone (called the binaural beat) that can sync up and change the frequency of your brain waves. You can specifically find binaural beats that result in different brain wave frequencies. Each frequency has the ability to produce different benefits, which is why binaural beats can be used to help with a variety of goals like improving your mood, improving memory, increasing creativity, helping you meditate, and more.
How to use binaural beats
To create this binaural beat, you only have to listen to the sounds of music. One of the reasons we love binaural beats for meditation is because there’s nothing else you have to focus on other than getting into your meditative state.
Listening to two different tones at once naturally creates a binaural beat in your brain: no extra effort is required. All you have to do is find binaural beats is swipe right in BetterSleep’s sound tab to access a variety of tones.
All you need is a set of headphones to tune into your calming frequency. Because the binaural beat is only created in your brain by hearing the difference in the two tones (one from your left ear, one from your right ear), you’ll want a reliable pair of headphones or earbuds for your practice.
Benefits of meditation with binaural beats
Binaural beats are a fantastic way to deepen your meditation practice to feel more connected and relaxed. In addition to helping you achieve a meditative state, binaural beats are also known to reduce anxiety, lower stress, help manage pain, and more.
For those who have difficulty concentrating or quieting their mind, binaural beats can act as a booster for your meditation practice, improving the quality and helping you achieve a calm state faster. If you are a fan of guided meditation, you’ll want to give these calming sounds a try.
What is the point of doing meditation with binaural beats?
Remember when we mentioned that different binaural beat frequencies can help you reach different goals? Let’s get back to that. The speed of your brainwaves can result in different moods. For example, slower brain waves can make people feel more relaxed, whereas faster ones can make people more alert.
Binaural beats can help alter your brain waves to get them to the rate they would usually be at during a meditative state. The most common frequencies detected during meditation are theta (3.5 to 7.5 Hz) and alpha (8 to 12 Hz) waves. Still, you can use binaural beats to get into any of the five brainwave frequencies (gamma, beta, alpha, theta, and delta).
Finding the right binaural beat for you
As we mentioned above, there are five common brainwave frequencies your brain operates at, and each comes with different benefits.
- Delta waves: the slowest brain waves that are associated with deep sleep.
- Theta waves: slow brain waves are also associated with some stages of sleep (like non-REM sleep). Deep meditation produces theta waves (between 5 to 8 Hz).
- Alpha waves: also associated with meditation, alpha waves often mean you’re relaxed, calm, and according to Binaural Beats Meditation, “associated with the state of flow: a zoned in, deeply focused and highly productive state of mind.”
- Beta waves: higher frequency brainwaves that are known to help you focus.
- Gamma waves: the fastest state of brainwaves, gamma waves are associated with deep consciousness and insight.
According to Healthline, binaural beats between 1 and 30 Hz are said to create the same brainwave pattern someone experiences during meditation. If you’re looking to go into a deep meditation, try listening to a mid-theta (5Hz) frequency. This can help you release stress and fall asleep.
Are binaural beats safe?
Binaural beats are only recently starting to gain popularity, so there is still work to be done on the effectiveness and long-term effects of this technique.
In general, binaural beats are considered safe to listen to. But it has been advised that people who suffer from seizures/seizure disorders, people with pacemakers, people operating heavy machinery, children, and pregnant woman should avoid binaural beats.
When you use any new technique to help or treat your physical or mental health, it’s always best to check with your doctor to be safe.
If you’re ready to try binaural beats, check out BetterSleep’s extensive collection of binaural beats to find the one best suited for you.
