It is interesting how sounds, noise and beats can either soothe us or make us irritable and angry.
Noise and beats can either soothe us or make us irritable and angry- Kathryn Borg
The scenario that immediately springs to mind is when we are trying to sleep and there is a noise or sounds keeping us awake. It could be a dog barking, a clock ticking loudly, music, a baby crying – we have all experienced it, and reacted.
Sounds can irritate more when we are stressed. It seems that with calmness comes acceptability. However, there are certainly sounds that make us laugh and sounds that soothe.
We now know that certain sounds can actually affect states of consciousness. That is the claim of binaural beat technology (BBT) which creates specially generated sounds designed to bring about different states of mind such as happiness, creativity and relaxation.
Apparently, listening to BBT can have benefits for both the body and mind. These benefits include improved moods, stronger willpower, enhanced memory, less stressful feelings, increased pain control, lower blood pressure and better sleep; it has even been suggested that children with hyperactivity can be calmed. To understand this, we need to look more closely at the definition of BBT.
Binaural beats are a perceptual phenomenon that occurs when two tones of slightly different frequencies are presented to the left and right ears respectively. The listener then perceives them as a single tone which varies in amplitude at a frequency equal to the frequency difference between the two tones.
Binaural beats were first discovered by Heinrich Wilhelm Dove more than 150 years ago. Only recently has the phenomenon been utilised to produce the desirable effects on the brain.
Varying the frequency range has proved to have differing effects. One range will enhance creativity and improved sleep while another range boosts attention and memory.
A whole industry has sprung from the idea that listening to binaural beats can improve health and contribute to personal development.
Many companies are offering a range of CDs and MP3 downloads with each claiming different benefits.
Many of the claims are quite controversial and have yet to be proved; however, there is a fair amount of research completed with some promising outcomes.
A US study published in the journal Physiology and Behaviour, looked at the effects of BBT on the performance of an alertness task, as well as on mood, using 29 volunteers.
Two control groups performed tasks while either listening to the beats in a selected range or not listening to beats.
The results showed that those who listened to the beats gave a better performance while performing alertness tasks and had a much less negative mood compared to the control group.
The researchers concluded that the technology could be utilised in the enhancement of human performance.
A UK study found that listening to the beats may reduce pre-operative anxiety.
Again, in a control group of patients waiting for day surgery, those who had listened to the beats had much lower anxiety scores when compared with those who had not listened to the beats.
Another study suggested that the beats may help children suffering from attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
If this is proved to be successful, it could prevent children from taking the medication prescribed for this condition which can cause unwanted side-effects for life.
The study only covered a three-week period carrying out various tasks, one of which was homework.
The children’s parents reported that the symptoms were not significantly reduced; however both the children and their parents found that homework problems due to inattention improved during the three weeks.
They also found the programme easy to use and helpful. The researchers concluded that a study over a longer period of time would be more conclusive.
Other studies have identified that the length of time listening to the beats and the age of the person listening can have varying effects on the final results.
A system called Hemi-Sync is one of the most studied forms of BBT.
This system was developed by American researcher Robert Monroe, who runs the Monroe Institute, which is a non-profit educational and research organisation.
Hemi-Sync has been refined using 50 years of research and development.
The findings suggest that the system can alter brainwave activity and may have a range of practical applications such as improving memory or helping children with ADHD.
In addition, external research has suggested that listening to Hemi-Sync recordings during surgery can reduce the reliance on pain-killing medication.
In conclusion the research into BBT has offered promising evidence that binaural beats may have positive effects on the brain.
However, the full findings need more research and more conclusive evidence.
The benefits of this technology would be a welcome approach to eliminating certain medications for various conditions and pain-killing medication after surgery.
One can only hope that the pharmaceutical organisations do not block this research on the basis that fewer drugs will be used if it is a success.
kathryn@maltanet.net