What Are Binaural Beats?

You may have noticed this hot new wellness trend popping up everywhere lately. Companies are making wild claims that binaural beats can unlock super-powered memory, focus and creativity while whisking away your stress. They are also being marketed as sleep aids and even a cure for migraines. But what in the world are binaural beats? Let's explore.

Nothing gets me more excited than a great meditation session with binaural beats. They seem to soothe or energize or relax depending on which track I choose to listen to. I use a meditation app called Insight Timer that offers such a huge and constantly updated library of meditations. I always search specifically for meditations that use binaural beats because I truly believe in their power. But this morning, I realized that I don't fully know what they are exactly. So, I decided to change that and dove into the world of binaural beats.

The brief history is that the discovery of binaural beats is credited to a Prussian meteorologist named Henrich Wilhem Dove. Experts believe that he discovered binaural beats around 1839.

"Binaural" means relating to both ears.

So what exactly are binaural beats? Well, they are kind of like an optical illusion for your ears. Basically, when you play a steady tone at two slightly different frequencies, one in each ear, your brain starts to recognize a third pulse or beat that really isn't there. Sounds magical right? Here is some science about how it works:

With binaural beats, the tone's frequency is different in your right and left ear. Say 200 hertz (Hz) in one and 210 Hz in the other. The tones travel separately to your inferior colliculus. That is the part of the brain that collects auditory input. There, the tones come together in a so-called "beat" at a perceived new frequency. So basically you are hearing something that isn't really there.

While no one is arguing that binaural beats actually exist, the question being asked is do they influence cognitive processes? What do they actually do to your brain?

Some people believe that once binaural beats introduce a new frequency to your brain, your brain waves sync to it which launches you into a different brain state. When each ear hears a slightly different pitch, the brain tries to find a new frequency in the middle. This causes the brain to harmonize it's brainwaves. This is called neural entrainment.

While there is little research or studies that have been done looking into the benefits of binaural beats, they have started to be marketed as cure all for a plethora of issues. The jury is still out on whether or not binaural beats are actually effective at addressing any problems that you may be experiencing. However, they are still safe to use since they are non-invasive and there are no reported side effects. Many people find listening to them to be relaxing at the very least.

So for now use binaural beats as a supplement for your meditation practice, or background sounds while doing stuff around the house or working. Just remember that as of right now binaural beats are only a fun wellness trend and not a cure for anything.