Suppose you want to improve your sleep hygiene; listening to binaural beats before bed is a great place to start. While listening to binaural beats with both ears (the effect won't work if you only listen with one), you'll hear a wall of ambient sound—but there's a catch. If you think you hear a different sonic layer altogether, it's because you are. But why is that the case? And how can binaural beats help you doze easier? Let's find out.

What are binaural beats, and how do they work?

What are binaural beats?

Contrary to what you might believe, binaural beats aren't a sub-genre of ambient electronic music. Instead, they're a form of sound therapy that provides enough relaxation to help put you to sleep and drop your anxiety levels. Again, it would help if you listened to these beats with both ears, as the binaural beat is not heard otherwise.

How do they work?

So how do they work? This is where the "it's not a music genre" part starts to factor in. Binaural beats represent two different sounds in both the left and right ear. The only thing is that the sound in one ear is at a slightly higher frequency, allowing you to hear a whole new layer of sound. That additional layer is represented by the difference in hertz between the two ears.

For example, if the left ear is playing a frequency at 20 Hz and the right ear is playing a frequency at 10 Hz, the binaural beat is the difference between the two. So, in this case, it'd be 10 Hz. There are a lot of different combinations of frequencies you can deliver and measure, but the point is that the frequency that we perceive is the difference between the two being played.

Because this sensation is provided in alternate frequencies, your brain creates an illusion of a third sonic element when there technically isn't one. This is because it's trying to compensate for the frequency imbalance by processing the discrepancy in a different tone. The only thing is, it's essentially the sonic equivalent to a mirage in the desert since the third tone isn't real.

How do you use binaural beats for sleep?

It would be best to keep both headphones and earbuds when using binaural beats. Sound has to come in each ear, or else you won't be able to hear the binaural beat, as mentioned earlier.

Finding a quiet place where you won't be disturbed is best. Once there, get into a comfortable sleeping position that'll allow you to wear headphones while you get ready to sleep. Lie down, put your headphones or earbuds on, play some binaural beats and close your eyes.

As the sound is sustained over time, it'll begin tosynchronize with your brain waves; this is a process called entrainment. Brainwave entrainment is a method that stimulates the brain into entering a state through outside stimuli like light and, of course, sound!

Once this happens, it can alter your brain frequency, thus creating different levels of arousal and relaxation.

Do binaural beats work for sleep? What are the effects?

How it affects your brain

Named after different letters in the Greek alphabet, a series of waves are present within the brain while you listen to binaural beats. These are alpha, beta, delta, theta, and gamma waves—the latter being the most active within the brain, at 30 to 50 Hz.

Each of these represents different types of brain activity these beats can trigger. For example, delta waves are the slowest among these but are essential as they help facilitate dreaming. In other words, binaural beats can directly affect what's happening in your brain.

Since beta and alpha waves are most common while you're awake and while in REM sleep, delta and theta waves take hold during non-REM, binaural beats are known for helping relax listeners and slowing the speed of their brainwaves, allowing them to fall asleep more quickly.

Does listening to binaural beats do anything else?

The benefits of binaural beats extend to improving specific skills like greater cognition and memory, a heightened mood, and flowingcreative juices. Science has also shown a positive correlation between combining binaural beats with ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). Playing these beats from 1 to 30 Hz is akin to the brain frequencies you typically experience while meditating and is also proven to be effective in reducing anxiety, including withER patients.

There was one smallstudy that found binaural beats affected three vital hormones in our sleep as well:

• DHEA. This hormone functions as a master hormone. As certain hormones are needed, DHEA helps to produce them. It's also critical to disease protection and immune function. Its most important aspect in aiding our ability to rest is its role in suppressing the stress hormone "cortisol." In this study, researchers observed that those who participated had a 68% increase in DHEA after listening to binaural beats.
• Cortisol. As we mentioned earlier, DHEA helps to suppress this stress hormone. Cortisol levels also tend to rise and fall in line with our circadian rhythms. They rise to their peak levels first thing in the morning, just as you're about to start the day.Stress is a common factor that causes insomnia in people. 70% of people in this study experienced a reduction in cortisol levels after listening to binaural beats.
• Melatonin. This hormone works to regulate and promote sleep. Your melatonin levels rise dramatically in the evening and work to help relax your mind and body and prepare you for a sound sleep. During this study, researchers found that 73% of people were shown to have higher levels of melatonin after listening to the binaural beats and the average increase was more than 97%!

In anotherstudy, it was found that specific binaural beat frequencies may reduce pain perception. In return, this could also help you relax and fall into a state of slumber.

As more research is done in the coming years, we'll begin to have an even more solid understanding of how these beat frequencies may affect and influence our body and our ability to rest.

What is the frequency of insomnia?

What is the best binaural beat for sleep?

Of the five different frequencies, specific binaural beats have been shown to impact our ability to reach a state of slumber significantly. However, there isn't necessarily one particular form of binaural that's best for sleep.

What is the best Hz to sleep to?

As we mentioned, there isn't one particular binaural beat or Hz that's best. However, three beat frequencies may affect your snoozing time more than the others. Thisincludes:

• Alpha waves. This frequency ranges from 8 Hz and 13 Hz. It'sthought to promote relaxation and reduce anxiety. Both these effects could help create that binaural beats sleep effect you're after.
• Theta waves. When we first enter sleep in stage one (the lightest stage of sleep), our brain produces theta waves. They sit at around 4 Hz, and 8 Hz. Listening to binaural beats at this frequency could promote drowsiness and bring you into a meditative state.
• Delta waves. Of all the frequencies, delta is the slowest. Sitting at a frequency between 0.5 Hz and 4 Hz. Our brain creates this slightly different frequency as we transition into a deep sleep. This relaxing music can help you sleep.

The other two frequencies, beta and gamma waves, create many different effects. Gamma waves are associated with alertness, problem-solving, and concentration. In comparison, beta waves are linked to an active and alert mind. This makes both forms of binaural music more unsuitable for bringing you into a state of rest.

Is there a sound that makes you sleep instantly?

Some binaural music may help promote relaxation and deep sleep, but there isn't any frequency that can bring you into a state of sleep at the flick of a finger.

Your best course of action to fall asleep quickly with binaural beats is to listen to specific frequencies that promote relaxation, sleep, and drowsiness and reduce anxiety and stress.

It's also best to create an environment that promotes sleep.Try lowering the temperature, following a relaxing nighttime routine, waking and going to sleep at the same time every day, and avoiding naps during the day. You should be able to get to sleep quicker.

What frequency is suitable for REM sleep?

What is REM?

If you're unfamiliar with the different stages of sleep,REM is a stage we enter where our brain activity increases quite significantly. This means that sleep during this stage is not as deep as in other stages. However, we usually experience vivid dreams during this state, despite the similarities between being awake.

REM sleep usually arrives about an hour and a half after you fall asleep. The first period of REM usually lasts around 10 minutes. Each stage after the first usually gets longer and longer. With all this said, the percentage of REM slumber we get continuously decreases as we age. This might be why listening to some binaural music to bring you into this state may be appealing.

What's the best frequency for REM?

If you're looking to leverage the effects of binaural beats in sleep and create more REM stages in your sleep, it'sbest to listen to binaural music from 4 Hz to 8 Hz.

What are the dangers of binaural beats?

Can binaural beats harm you?

There aren't many adverse side effects from listening to binaural music. However, there are some.Some people who listen to music report having feelings of frustration or irritability.

And listening to any form of music at a volume of 85 decibels or higher could result in hearing loss. It's best to avoid listening to binaural beats at high volumes, especially if you're listening to them for sleep. You might find yourself entering a slumber with your headphones still in without realizing the high volumes you may be listening to.

Can you trust binaural beats?

Overall, much research showcases the benefits of listening to binaural. It's not only been proven to help with sleep, but research shows there aren't extreme adverse effects.

Binaural has been shown to help anxiety, stress levels, sleep, and more.

Closing Thoughts - Brain Waves and Binaural Beats Sleep

Whether you're dealing with sleep issues or just looking for another way to help you relax before bed, binaural beats could be your ticket to a more relaxed state and better sleep.

Although many factors play a role in our sleep, our ability to relax may be one of the most important. Daily stresses can contribute to our lack of sleep, and our inability to relax and cope with stress could result in more people dealing with insomnia.

At BetterSleep, we offer a range of sounds you can use for sleep, from white noises to ASMR and binaural beats. If you're looking to add relaxing habits into your routine that can help with sleep and bring you into a relaxed state, try BetterSleep and browse our wide selection of sounds!