There is no worse feeling than lying awake at night, tossing and turning in increasing agitation, and wondering if you will be able to get any sleep at all tonight. Is this something you can relate to? We have all been there, and the cause is usually that we cannot get our brains to slow down, and our minds to stop their incessant chitter-chatter.
Getting a good nights sleep is extremely important for health, proper functioning, and mental well-being. On the other hand, a lack of sleep can have serious negative consequences in all areas.
If you suffer from insomnia then you will understand all too well how frustrating, and how damaging to both physical and mental health a lack of sleep can be. As many as 1 in 4 American workers suffer from insomnia, and many of those are treated with prescription drugs, which can be addictive and harmful, and rarely offer a high quality of sleep.
There is a solution at hand, and it is safe, relaxing, and incredibly beneficial. Binaural beats can be used to improve the quality of your sleep. They can enhance the depth, quality, and length of your sleep, and can even work to ease the stress of insomnia.
What Are Binaural Beats?
Binaural beats are a brain entrainment tool in which two similar frequencies are played separately, one through each ear on stereo headphones. This causes the brain to interpret the difference between the two frequencies, and create for itself a third frequency, which then helps to set the wave patterns of your brain.
In effect, you are controlling how relaxed or alert you feel, and this gives you access to many altered states of consciousness, including light and deep sleep states. Binaural beats offer you the opportunity to take direct control over your brainwaves, and therefore settle down your mind. All that you need to do is select your desired frequency, and listen to the tones through headphones.
You can find all of the general information that you need to understand binaural beats in our article, “What Are Binaural Beats?”
Why Are Binaural Beats Useful For Sleep?
When you are struggling to sleep, it is almost always the case that your brain is residing on a ‘beta’ frequency. A beta wave length is one that is active, alert, and maybe even a little bit stressful and worried. We spend much of the day in this state, because it is necessary to do so in order to function in a high pressure environment, as in everyday life for most people.
Some people struggle when it comes to switching off at night, and winding down into a sleepy relaxed state. This means they are going to bed while running an active and alert Beta brain, and expecting to get some sleep. Not going to happen!
In order to sleep the brain needs to wind down into first an alpha state, which is a relaxed awareness, and then a theta state, which is a dreamy REM state, and then a deep delta state, which is non-REM sleep. Binaural beats can help with sleep because you can take control of your brainwaves, and easily set your mind to enter a relaxed alpha state, or a sleepy theta state.
You can use binaural beats to wind down before bed, into a much more relaxed and ready to sleep state of mind, or you can even use binaural beats as a direct way to fall asleep… much better than sleeping pills!
How To Use Binaural Beats For Sleep
Using binaural beats for sleep is very simple indeed. At Self Help Manual we have designed and created a free online binaural beats generator, for your endless enjoyment and benefit! With it you can set your desired frequencies, have a listen through stereo headphones, and feel as your brain makes the switch over to relaxation or sleep. Get out of your hectic Beta-mind, and sooth yourself gently to sleep.
We recommend that you start off with by choosing an alpha frequency for relaxation. This should put you in pre-sleep state of drowsiness, and help you to switch off all of those irritating thoughts. If you need more help getting a good night’s sleep, then drop it down to a theta level, which should encourage you to actually fall asleep.
The theta state can also be used for deep mediation, but this requires a lot of conscious effort to actually stay awake; so powerful are the effects!
Is It Safe To Use Binaural Beats For Sleep?
It is absolutely safe to use binaural beats for sleep, and if you are struggling with sleep to the point where it is causing you physical and mental harm, then we would recommend that you give it a try right away. They are a much safer option than pharmaceutical drugs, which often have harmful side effects and are addictive.
Even if you are only struggling to sleep on occasions, and don’t suffer any major disturbances, then it is still fine to use binaural beats for sleep, or to relax you before you go to bed. If you don’t have any trouble sleeping, then there is not much point using binaural beats for sleep, so why not try them out for your meditations, or to practice lucid dreaming?
The biggest risk of using binaural beats for sleep, is dependancy. Ultimately, it is always better to be able to get a good night’s sleep without using anything as an aid, but this can be easier said than done, and there is no actual harm from being dependent on something that is beneficial. Exercise your own caution, but all in all just enjoy the incredible benefits that binaural beats can bring to your life!