Introduction to Binaural Beats

By Dan Murphy

So you may have encountered information on binaural beats and the advantages they can have on individuals, such as relaxation, better learning, increased creativity, and stress relief. But where exactly did binaural beats come from, what are they used for, and are they useful?

In 1839, a person by the name of Heinrich Wilhelm Dove detected the curious phenomenon of binaural beats. When two auditory impulses ("tones") are played in both ears at the same time but differ in frequency, the difference in the Hz (hertz, or cycles per second) will be delivered as what is referred to as a "binaural beat."

For example, let's make the assumption that you have one tone being played to each ear. The first tone could be 180 Hz and played into your right ear, and the other tone could be 185 Hz and played in the left ear. The difference in frequencies creates a "beat" which is the binaural beat. In the example, the variation would be 5 Hz.

The important part to note is that the beats are perceived by the brain, and not actually "heard" as it may sound. These are responses in parts of the brain stem which are delivered from the superior olivary nucleus of each brain hemisphere. What makes this so important is that the "beats" that are experienced actually cause the two sides of the brain to be in sync with one another.

The Monroe Institute is an organization that has heavily marketed binaural beats as a treatment method. Utilizing binaural beats has shown benefits which include a reduced need for pain medicine, expedient recuperation, stable blood pressure, and more. This was tested by using this method in hospitals and other various areas of medicine. Because of this, the use of binaural beats has been tested over a significant portion of people.

In the year 1999, Anesthesia decided to do a study. In order to disprove or prove this hypothesis, a study was carried out that involved three different tapes that were created for the subjects to listen to. Each subject was undergoing a different procedure, and all were administered a drug called fentanyl. Fentanyl is most often given for chronic pain, or chronic breakthrough pain. Each of the three tapes contained either classical music, a product named "Hemisync," or a tape with no audio. It was found that those listening to the Hemisync recording needed much less fentanyl when compared to the two other tapes.

The study that was completed, "Hemispheric Synchronized Sounds and Intraoperative Anesthetic Requirements" should help in the promotion that not only do binaural beats have their benefits, but the effectiveness of them can be measured and proven. - 31856

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