What Are Binaural Beats?
Binaural beats are a type of sound that creates the illusion of a rhythm inside your brain.
They work by playing two slightly different tones, one in each ear. For example:
- Left ear: 200 Hz
- Right ear: 210 Hz
Your brain combines these sounds and perceives a 10 Hz beat—the difference between 200 Hz and 210 Hz—even though no 10 Hz sound is actually being played. This is called a binaural beat.
Because each ear must hear a different tone, stereo headphones are normally used.
However, a new method of playing singing bowls was developed by German sound therapist Gerrit Nitsche in 2018. More information is available at Sound of Himalaya.
Multiple bowls are played simultaneously in many different tones. The combination of bowls sounds melodic and relaxing, while also producing binaural effects that may help listeners enter a meditative state of mind.
How Are Binaural Beats Linked to Brainwaves?
Scientists believe that listening to a binaural beat may encourage the brain to produce electrical activity at a similar frequency. This is called brainwave entrainment.
For example:
- A 10 Hz binaural beat may encourage alpha brainwaves, which are associated with relaxed wakefulness.
- A 6 Hz binaural beat may encourage theta brainwaves, which are associated with deep relaxation and meditation.
Imagine your brain is like a group of people walking. When everyone is walking at different speeds, it feels busy and unorganised. If someone starts clapping a steady rhythm, many people naturally begin walking in time with it.
Binaural beats act like that steady rhythm. They do not force the brain to change, but they may gently encourage some of its activity to become more synchronised.