A good night’s rest is vital to your health and wellbeing.
Insomnia – regular experience of poor sleep - results in reduced productivity, slowed reaction times, depression, anxiety disorders, weight gain, high blood pressure and heart disease.
A recent study tested nap quality in the presence or absence of binaural beat (BB) music. The music was a 20min electronic composition with superimposed BBs of 4 and 2 Hz.
During the experiment, a polysomnogram (PSG) recording was taken, which included measures of brain and heart activity.
During the BB and silence condition (two naps that were about 2 weeks apart), the participants’ responses were the same except for the 14-16th minute – a critical point in a 20 minute nap.
At this point sleep was deeper during the BB music nap compared to the silent nap.
Undeniable physical brain evidence that BB music improved sleep quality.
Good sleep has a list of psychological benefits including lower stress reactivity, improved mood, and enhanced task performance, including quicker reaction times and better memory.
And the health benefits list is life changing, thanks to the effects of sleep on the immune system, heart strength and hormone balance:
There are individual differences in this study – some people responded quickly and deeply to BB whereas for others the impact is milder, at least at first.
There is no way to predict who will respond most to BB however, BB come with no known side effects (unlike insomnia medications) so why not give BB a try and see if they work for you?
Audicin has the perfect sleep playlist - Bedtime prep. Deep relaxation, recovery and preparation for a good night's sleep. This curated collection of tracks can also be used if you find yourself waking in the middle of the night. Contains frequencies that activate theta and delta brain waves, which support REM sleep and deep relaxation.
Bakaeva ZV, Shumov DE, Yakunina EB, et al. (2021) [The effect of music embedded with binaural beats on heart rate parameters during nap]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 121:31-35 doi: 10.17116/jnevro202112104231 translation available at Research Gate
Header image - Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash