Do You Sleep to a Binaural Beat?

Research gives insight to the use of a novel relaxation strategy

using sound.
Posted Sep 30, 2018

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In the last two posts, I discussed some unusual ways in which some people
respond to certain very ordinary sounds. In the case of ASMR, sounds like
tapping, tearing, and popping can lead to tingling sensations associated with
relaxation and even drowsiness. In the case of misophonia similar sounds,
like swallowing and lip-smacking, can also cause a tingling sensation, but one
accompanied by disgust and even rage. Binaural beats are a different kind of
sound and many people report finding certain of them relaxing and
even conducive to falling asleep. Other people do not like them and after
hearing them once never want to hear them again.

According to the Wikipedia entry “(i)n acoustics a beat is an interference

pattern between two sounds of slightly different frequencies, perceived as a
periodic variation in volume whose rate is the difference of the two
frequencies.” Further, a binaural beat is “… an auditory illusion
perceived when two different pure-tone sine waves, both with frequencies
lower than 1500 Hz, with less than a 40 Hz difference between them, are
presented to a listener dichotically (one through each ear)”. If the two
frequencies are, say, 5 Hz apart as in 500 and 505 Hz, then a third tone at 5
Hz will be heard in addition to the two pure tones. What this technique allows
for is the creation of an apparent auditory signal that can be perceived and
that is at a predictable frequency. In this way, relatively low frequencies can
be generated that can be easily perceived and that can correspond to the
common brainwave frequency bands. These are often categorized as delta
(0.5 – 4 Hz), theta (4 – 7 Hz), alpha (8 – 12 Hz), and beta (13 – 16 Hz). You
may find somewhat different ranges and bands other than these
listed depending on the source you consult. It is also possible to produce
flashes of light that can be administered within these frequency bands but
there is some risk of inducing seizures in susceptible individuals. While the
most common frequency range for inducing seizures is 15 – 25 Hz,
unfortunately, the possible range is 1 – 65 Hz, which covers essentially the
whole range of standard EEG frequency bands. This makes use of sound
stimulation safer than visual or combined audio/visual stimulation.

But what would be the point of generating a beat that was at the same rate as
a certain brainwave frequency? First, consider that these frequency bands
relate to different states of awareness. Delta is seen in deep sleep, theta in
lighter stages of sleep, alpha when we are relaxed with eyes closed, and beta
when we are awake and alert. Second, the main idea behind using binaural
beats to help a person relax and sleep is that of entrainment. Entrainment
means that a biological process is matched to some external stimulus. For
example, our circadian clock is entrained to the day/night light cycle and helps
the body organize physiological processes in an appropriate way over the
course of the day. A repetitive sound at the frequency of a certain brainwave
band could theoretically cause the brain waves to be entrained to that
frequency and thus help induce the state associated with that brainwave
band. This could have therapeutic utility.
For many years this principle of entrainment has been used as a part
of neurofeedback to help patients change their brain wave patterns in the hope
of ameliorating the symptoms of dysregulated brain processes that are
hypothesized to contribute to various disorders such as ADHD, anxiety,
and depression. There is some evidence that neurofeedback combined with
photic stimulation (e.g. Hammond, 2000) can help depression and that
auditory and visual stimulation can help cognitive abilities in children
with learning disabilities (e.g. Olmstead, 2005).

There has been considerable interest in the potential of auditory beat

stimulation to affect cognition and mood states. Chaieb, Wilpert, Reber, &
Fell (2015) reviewed the literature on the effects of auditory beat stimulation
on memory, creativity, attention, anxiety, mood, and vigilance. They found
some support for it being able to affect these modalities but there
were contradictory findings. So the area clearly requires significantly more
research before firm conclusions can be drawn.