What are binaural beats?
When you hear two tones — one in each ear — that are slightly different in frequency, your brain processes a beat at the difference of the frequencies. This is called a binaural beat.
Here’s an example:
Let’s say you’re listening to a sound in your left ear that’s at a frequency of 132 Hertz (Hz). And in your right ear, you’re listening to a sound that’s at a frequency of 121 Hz.
Your brain, however, gradually falls into synchrony with the difference — or 11 Hz. Instead of hearing two different tones, you instead hear a tone at 11 Hz (in addition to the two tones given to each ear).
Binaural beats are considered auditory illusions. For a binaural beat to work, the two tones have to have frequencies less than 1000 Hz, and the difference between the two tones can’t be more than 30 Hz. The tones also have to be listened to separately, one through each ear.
Binaural beats have been explored in music and are sometimes used to help tune instruments, such as pianos and organs. More recently, they have been connected to potential health benefits.
What health benefits are binaural beats claimed to have?
Binaural beats are claimed to induce the same mental state associated with a meditation practice, but much more quickly. In effect, binaural beats are said to:
- reduce anxiety
- increase focus and concentration
- lower stress
- increase relaxation
- foster positive moods
- promote creativity
- help manage pain
Meditation is the practice of calming the mind and tuning down the number of random thoughts that pass through it.
A regular meditation practice has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, slow down the rate of brain aging and memory loss, promote mental health, and lengthen attention span. Practicing meditation regularly can be quite difficult, so people have looked to technology for help.
Binaural beats between 1 and 30 Hz are alleged to create the same brain wave pattern that one would experience during meditation. When you listen to a sound with a certain frequency, your brain waves will synchronize with that frequency.
The theory is that binaural beats can help create the frequency needed for your brain to create the same waves commonly experienced during a meditation practice. The use of binaural beats in this way is sometimes called brain wave entrainment technology.
How do you use binaural beats?
All you need to experiment with binaural beats is a binaural beat audio and a pair of headphones or earbuds.
You can easily find audio files of binaural beats online, such as on YouTube or via downloaded audio files to your mp3 player or mobile device.
As mentioned earlier, for a binaural beat to work, the two tones have to have frequencies of less than 1000 Hz, and the difference between the two tones can’t be more than 30 Hz.
You can also decide which brain wave fits your desired state. In general:
- Binaural beats in the delta (1 to 4 Hz) range have been associated with deep sleep and relaxation.
- Binaural beats in the theta (4 to 8 Hz) range are linked to REM sleep, reduced anxiety, relaxation, as well as meditative and creative states.
- Binaural beats in the alpha frequencies (8 to 13 Hz) are thought to encourage relaxation, promote positivity, and decrease anxiety.
- Binaural beats in the lower beta frequencies (14 to 30 Hz) have been linked to increased concentration and alertness, problem solving, and improved memory.
- Binaural beats of 40 Hz were found to be helpful in enhancing training and learning, according to a 2020 study.
When listening to binaural beats, it’s best to sit in a comfortable place free of distractions. Listening to the binaural beat audio for at least 30 minutes each day in your headphones ensures that the rhythm is entrained (has fallen into synchronization) throughout the brain.
You can experiment with the length of time you listen to the binaural beats to find out what works for you. For example, if you’re experiencing high levels of anxiety or stress, you may want to listen to the audio for a full hour or longer.
Remember, you must use headphones for binaural beats to work. You may also want to listen with your eyes closed.
Is there any research to support the claims?
While most studies on the effects of binaural beats have been small, there are several that provide evidence that this auditory illusion does indeed have health benefits, especially related to anxiety, mood, and performance.
- An older 2005 controlled study in roughly 100 people about to undergo surgery also found that binaural beats were able to significantly reduce pre-operative anxiety compared to similar audio without the binaural tones and no audio at all. In the study, anxiety levels were cut in half for people who listened to the binaural beat audio.
- A 2007 uncontrolled study asked eight adults to listen to a binaural beat CD with delta (1 to 4 Hz) beat frequencies for 60 days straight. The results of the study found that listening to binaural beats for 60 days significantly reduced anxiety and increased the overall quality of life of these participants. Since the study was small, uncontrolled, and relied on patient surveys to collect data, larger studies will be needed to confirm these effects.
- One larger 2011 randomized and controlled trial looked at the use of binaural beats in 291 patients admitted to the emergency department at a hospital. The researchers observed significant decreases in anxiety levels in patients exposed to audio with embedded binaural beats compared to those who listened to audio without binaural beats or no audio at all.
- A 2019 study combined the effects of binaural beats and autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), a phenomenon of a relaxation response to certain audio or visual triggers. It was suggested that the combination of the two were more beneficial than either separately.
- However, a 2015 review of studies found that most studies in this area are limited or contradictory, and that there’s evidence of diminishing impact over time. More research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and how they differ from monaural beats.
Are there any side effects to listening to binaural beats?
There are no known side effects to listening to binaural beats, but you’ll want to make sure that the sound level coming through your headphones isn’t set too high. Prolonged exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss over time. This is roughly the level of noise produced by heavy traffic.
Binaural beat technology could be a problem if you have epilepsy, so you should speak with your doctor before trying it. More research is needed to see if there are any side effects to listening to binaural beats over a long period of time.
The bottom line
With several human studies to back up the health claims, binaural beats appear to be a potential tool in the fight against anxiety, stress, and negative mental states.
Research has found that listening daily to audio with binaural beats may have positive effects on:
- anxiety
- memory
- mood
- creativity
- attention
Learning to meditate isn’t always easy. Binaural beats won’t work for everyone, and they aren’t considered a cure for any particular condition.
However, they might offer an auditory escape for those interested in relaxing, sleeping more peacefully, or entering a meditative state.
Binaural beat therapy is an emerging form of sound wave therapy. It makes use of the fact that the right and left ear each receive a slightly different frequency tone, yet the brain perceives these as a single tone.
Advocates of this type of therapy currently recommend it for the treatment of anxiety, stress, and related disorders. This self-help treatment is usually available in the form of audio recordings that a person listens to on stereo headphones.
However, research is inconclusive about the clinical benefits of binaural beat therapy, and a doctor does not oversee its delivery. Therefore, it is best not to replace traditional treatments for stress and anxiety with this type of intervention.
Binaural beat therapy is not part of standard care for any condition. Doctors consider this treatment to be semi-experimental.
In this article, we explain binaural beats and look at current research to assess their effectiveness. We also clarify how to use them.
How do binaural beats work?
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Binaural beats therapy may help treat anxiety, stress, and related disorders.
According to a 2015 literature review, the tones should be at frequencies lower than 1,000 hertz (Hz) for the brain to detect the binaural beat. The binaural beat that a person perceives is the frequency difference between the waves entering the left and right ear.
For example, if the left ear registers a tone at 200 Hz and the right ear registers one at 210 Hz, the binaural beat is 10 Hz — the difference between the two frequencies.
The findings of a 2018 study suggest that listening to binaural beats for a recommended period can affect a person’s subsequent behavior and sleep cycles.
The study authors explain that there are five different categories of frequency pattern:
- Delta pattern: Binaural beats in the delta pattern operate at a frequency of 0.5–4 Hz with links to a dreamless sleep. In the study, people who received a delta pattern frequency during sleep entered a deeper stage of sleep, according to electroencephalogram (EEG) brain scan results.
- Theta pattern: Practitioners set binaural beats in the theta pattern to a frequency of 4–7 Hz. Theta patterns contribute to improved meditation, creativity, and sleep in the rapid eye movement (REM) phase.
- Alpha pattern: Binaural beats in the alpha pattern are at a frequency of 7–13 Hz and may encourage relaxation.
- Beta pattern: Binaural beats in the beta pattern are at a frequency of 13–30 Hz. This frequency range may help promote concentration and alertness. However, it can also increase anxiety at the higher end of the range.
- Gamma pattern: This frequency pattern accounts for a range of 30–50 Hz. The study authors suggest that these frequencies promote maintenance of arousal while a person is awake.
Benefits
The purpose of using binaural beats therapy may differ among individuals. Some people may need help decreasing their anxiety, while others might want to increase their concentration or deepen their level of meditation.
Proponents of binaural beat therapy suggest that the potential benefits include:
- reduced stress and anxiety
- increased focus, concentration, and motivation
- improved confidence
- better long term memory after exposure to beta pattern frequencies, according to a 2019 study
- deeper meditation
- enhanced psychomotor performance and mood
However, a 2017 study that measured the effects of binaural beat therapy using EEG monitoring found that binaural beat therapy does not affect brain activity or emotional stimulation. The researchers also monitored heart rate and skin conductance as indicators of emotional arousal.
How to use binaural beats
To listen to binaural beats, a person will need a pair of stereo headphones and an MP3 player or another music system.
As the leading authorities in psychiatric treatment have no recommendations for binaural beats, it is usually the producer of the tape that makes the suggestions for use.
People should follow the instructions carefully. Those who do not see any reduction in anxiety might benefit from trying a different producer, type of sound, or frequency.
It is important to avoid using binaural beats therapy while undertaking tasks that require alertness and full attention, such as driving.
Research
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A person may reduce anxiety before surgery by listening to binaural beats.
Early research from 2001 suggested that binaural beat therapy may yield some benefit for people with mild anxiety. However, the authors stated that it warranted further study only as a therapeutic measure to support conventional treatments for anxiety.
Despite this, other researchers have continued to investigate this therapy. A 2005 study involving more than 100 participants who were due to receive general anesthesia for a day procedure reported a decrease in preoperative anxiety after exposure to a delta wave binaural beat.
The participants in this study listened to 30 minutes of binaural beats before surgery. However, the researchers noted that people experiencing high levels of preoperative anxiety could listen to binaural beats for up to 1 hour before anesthesia to reduce levels of anxiety.
Researchers from the National College of Natural Medicine in Oregon conducted a study on binaural beat therapy in 2007. They evaluated eight study participants who listened to delta wave binaural beat therapy every day for 60 days.
The results showed a decrease in anxiety, insulin-like growth factor, and dopamine. The participants also reported an increase in quality of life. The team concluded that although the small sample size means that further research is necessary, binaural beats might improve self-reported anxiety.
A 2019 review of 22 studies found a significant link between more prolonged exposure to binaural beat tapes and reduced anxiety. It also found that practitioners did not need to mask the beats with white noise for the treatment to have an effect.
Some researchers have even suggested that 10 minutes of exposure to a 6 Hz frequency could induce a brain state similar to that during meditation.
Although there is little evidence of any adverse side effects of using binaural beat therapy, a literature review of studies identified conflicting data, so further research is necessary.
Takeaway
As with any self-help tool, it is important for a person to speak with a healthcare professional to determine whether binaural beats therapy is right for them.
The quality of the available research is mixed. Many of the studies confirming the benefits of binaural beats therapy involved small cohorts and used subjective measurements, such as questionnaires. There are few recent, high quality studies supporting binary beat therapy as an effective treatment for anxiety.
However, people can practice binary beat therapy at home with no training. Therefore, those who find that it reduces their anxiety can use it to support ongoing anxiety treatment.
It is important to note that there is a lack of research on the long term side effects of the therapy. People may wish to start with shorter sessions of binaural beat therapy and increase their exposure gradually.
Q:
What proven self-care measures are available for people with anxiety?
A:
Among nonpharmacologic treatments for anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has the most scientific evidence to support its use. However, it is important to consider that CBT, in many people, is best as part of a multimodal treatment plan that includes medication.
Andrew Gonzalez, MD, JD, MPH Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
