Hack your sleep by Karl Mentol - HTML preview

Chapter 7: Binaural Beats and Music Therapy

Binaural beats are auditory tones that affect brainwaves. The frequency of the beats changes the brainwaves to achieve specific outcomes. Binaural beats are used to improve creativity, concentration, and sleep.

How do binaural beats work?

• The sound frequencies presented to each ear are different, therefore, a good set of stereo headphones is required. There are special binaural beat headphones available on the marketplace but any good quality headphones will work just as well.
• The frequency of each tone must be less than 30 Hz to be effective. This allows the two different beats to be heard together as a single tone.
• The brain interprets the two beats as one consistent sound frequency. This is called  the Frequency Following Response. It then regulates its waves in accordance with this tone.
• Binaural beats are designed with specific algorithms to hack your brain into a certain frequency. Our brains use different frequencies when performing tasks. For example, it uses Delta and Theta waves for sleep. They are related to relaxation, calm and deep sleep. The binaural beat you listen to hacks your brain to generate these brainwaves.

If you are thinking that binaural beats are some kind of weird, alien music, you are totally mistaken. They are amazingly soothing, ethereal and beautiful. You will experience calm, blissful thoughts as you gently drift off to sleep.

If you enjoy it, you can invest in an audio track package or a subscription, which is very affordable. Just remember that you need a really good set of headphones to really benefit from this hack.

Music therapy

If nature sounds or binaural beats just aren't your thing, there is another alternative. If you love music then music therapy is the perfect hack for you. Music therapy or the use of soothing music has been scientifically proven to promote relaxation and sleep. It is a great alleviator of physical stress which could be causing bad sleep. Moreover, music therapy has been shown to balance the circadian rhythm.

How does it work?

When soothing waves of music interconnect with our brainwaves, we begin to relax and drift off to sleep. Over time, the brain will associate this type of music with restfulness and sleep. It will learn to relax almost immediately and you will have no trouble falling asleep.

What is meant by "soothing" music?

Loud, fast music like hard rock or rap will alert your brain and keep you awake. Soothing music is the opposite. It is slower with soft beats and rhythms. Research has shown that the best music for sleep is:

• Classical music like Sonatas and piano pieces. A popular favorite is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata
• Soft rock. If you're a rock lover, save the hard rock for daytime. Instead, listen to your favorite soft rock tracks during bedtime. These should be tracks where the emphasis is on melody and words rather than on beat.
• Ambient music. This includes instrumentals with slow to medium beats. You can find instrumental versions of your favorite songs as well. One of the most popular is Hotel California.
• Hymns. A great choice for the more religious or spiritually-inclined.

Again, it's a good idea to experiment with these different audio therapies as well. You may find that some genres – not necessarily your favorite – work better for you. Who knows? You may not be religious but discover that hymns do the trick for you!