Can binaural beats damage your brain (explanation + tips)

How do binaural beats work?

Binaural beats are a perception of sound created by your brain. When you listen to binaural beats, you hear a different tone in each ear. Both hemispheres of the brain absorb the tones and form an intermediate frequency (also called the difference tone ). The difference tone puts your brain in a state where you can focus better, relax, experience less anxiety, be more creative and sleep better.

Sound waves are often measured in hertz or kilohertz. The higher the number of hertz, the higher the frequency you hear. The frequency of the differential tone corresponds to a particular brain wave. Brain waves vibrate at different frequencies. You have delta, beta, alpha, beta and gamma waves.

Delta waves are large, slow waves. When you listen to delta waves (0-4 hertz), you hear a low frequency. Several studies have shown that delta waves help you fall asleep and sleep through.

Thus, each sound wave has its own function. For example, beta waves (4-8 hertz) put your brain in a meditative state, alpha waves (8-13 hertz) increase alertness and beta waves (15-20 hertz) improve your concentration.

Read more about using binaural beats here.

Are binaural beats dangerous?

Can binaural beats damage your brain? No. Binaural beats help put your brain into a state of relaxation or alertness. You may be wondering if there are any dangers associated with this. Fortunately, listening to binaural beats is perfectly safe. Still, there are a few things to consider.

The duration

When you exercise, you often start by warming up your body first. You can apply the same principle to listening to binaural beats.

For example, listen to binaural beats for five minutes before studying if you want to improve your focus. Notice that you have no focus at all? Then you can experiment with listening to binaural beats while studying or working.

Be sure to build up listening to binaural beats if you are a beginner. This will also reduce your chances of getting any headaches. In fact, you may experience headaches when you first listen to these tracks. This is often because your brain is not yet used to the process.

Volume

You need headphones or earbuds to make binaural beats work. But make sure you don't set the volume too high. In fact, listening to a high volume for long periods of time can lead to hearing damage. Be aware that your ears are less sensitive to bass (which makes it tempting to turn up your volume higher).

Turn your volume up just high enough to hear the vibrating sound, but make sure the sound does not cause distraction. In fact, higher volume will not make you reach your desired state faster. Also avoid binaural beats tracks with sudden pulses or loud noises. All binaural beats from the Meditation Moments app are completely safe to listen to.

Are binaural beats safe for children?

Children between the ages of 0 and 12 have a different brainwave pattern compared to teenagers and adults. Therefore, is it safe for children to listen to binaural beats? The answer is: yes, for most children it is perfectly safe to listen to binaural beats. However, every child is different, so introduce them to binaural beats in a quiet, mindful way.

Binaural beats can help children learn and develop. During the "introduction," pay close attention to the child's reaction and be aware of the effect of the binaural beats. For example, does the child react positively or negatively?

Conclusion

Binaural beats are safe to use, provided you use them in a conscious manner. Get acquainted with binaural beats slowly, don't set the volume too high and don't rush to a certain state.

Want to experience the benefits of binaural beats for yourself? In the Meditation Moments app you will find different binaural beats for different purposes.