About binaural beats

As promised, in this post we will describe what binaural beats are, how they work and how can they improve your life.

When two different tones of specific frequencies are played through headphones, the brain can become confused and produce its own, imagined tone - a 3D audio hallucination heard only within the head of the listener. The frequencies that produce this phenomenon are known as Binaural Beats.
For example, if a frequency of 100 Hz is played in one ear and a frequency of 110 Hz is played in the other ear, the result is a binaural beat of 10 Hz, created by the brain.
What is actually happening is that the brain is not used to hearing frequencies in each ear so close together and with such intensity as these sounds do not occur in nature and there is no mechanism in our brains to understand them. Instead, the superior olivary nucleus, the area of the brain which controls aspects of 3D sound perception, bridges the difference between the varying frequencies in Binaural Beats with a common 'third tone' in an attempt to normalize this audio into something we can understand.
What is really weird is tat each person hears the third tone differently. It was proved that people with Parkinson's disease can't hear it at all, while women will hear different tones as they move through their menstrual cycle.

What is brainwave entrainment?

Brainwave entrainment, also known as 'brainwave synchronization' is a practice that depends upon a 'frequency following' response from your brain, following a dominant external stimulus. Usually, the external stimulus is a specialized software, but it can also be a pulse of sound or light.
When the brain receives an external stimulus, through ears, eyes or any other senses, it emits a response which is called a 'cortical evoked response'. These electrical responses travel throughout the brain and they can be measured using sensitive devices attached to the scalp.
When the rhythmic stimulus presented to the brain is, for example, a drum beat, the rhythm is reproduced in the brain in the form of a 'cortical evoked respose'. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent enough, it can start to resemble the natural internal rhythms of the brain, called 'brainwaves'. When this happens, the brain starts responding by synchronizing its own electric cycles to the same rhythm as the drum beat. This is usually called a 'Frequency Following Response' or FFR.

Brainwaves described

It is very important to understand how your brain works and how it contributes to your state of mind. Most of us are used to focus on our emotions trying to become happier or a more spiritual being. What most of you don’t know is that your brain waves and your subcionscious mind play a big part in this pursuit of happiness.
Let’s take a look at your brain wave frequencies and how they affect the state of mind. Each frequency is measured in cycles per second (Hz) and has its own set of characteristics. Each of these waves represent a specific level of brain activity and a unique state of consciousness.

Let’s begin with Beta. Its range is 14-40Hz and is the wave of your wide awake state.
Beta brain waves are associated with normal waking consciousness and an increased state of alert, logic and critical reasoning.
Beta brain waves are essential for your effective functioning throughout the day, but they can also translate into a stressful, restless and anxious mind. 
Imagine Beta as that annoying little inner critic that gets louder and louder. Once it gets lounder, it means that your brain waves are high into above mentioned range and that stress is just around the corner or it has already arrived.
The majority of adults operate at Beta, this is why stress is the most common problem these days.