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Mind ยป Sleep

How Using Brainwave Entrainment Can Help You Sleep

By John Coulson
Updated January 29, 2016

Your brain operates using waves, which help to regulate your sleep/wake cycle and enable learning and memory.

According to experts, brainwaves can be manipulated by using something called binaural beats. They are said to be able to induce rapid learning by altering brainwaves as well as implanting subliminal messages into your brain while you sleep. If you’d like to give the method a try, be sure to discuss it with your doctor beforehand, and follow the directions closely to ensure the best results. In the meantime, learning more about brainwave entrainment can help you decide if it’s right for you or not. Here is everything you need to know before deciding if brainwave entrainment is the path you should follow.

How Does Brainwave Entrainment Work?

As mentioned above, brainwave entrainment alters your brainwaves while you sleep. The experts at SleepLearning.com say that two different frequencies are introduced into separate ears through the use of headphones. Because you are sleeping, your brain doesn’t respond to these differences as it would if you were awake. Instead of telling your body what to do, your brain combines the frequencies to create a third, which helps you go into a hypnotized or meditative state. This can facilitate learning if done properly, according to the experts.

How Is Brainwave Entrainment Done?

There are a variety of ways to undergo brainwave entrainment. The one you choose depends partially on personal preference and partially on what your doctor determines is the right one for you. CrossFeed Modulation uses different volumes of sound in a pattern and is said to help you balance your mind and body. The Pulse method is one of the most common and involves adjusting the sound of the beats in a triangle pattern. Low-Pass Filter Modulation uses very high frequencies, and experts call it a good choice for introducing a stimulus.

Pitch Modulation, Auto-Pan Modulation, Binaural Beats and Monaural Beats are other forms of brainwave entrainment, according to SleepLearning.com. Some of them require the use of headphones while others do not. Generally, you’ll play the tones and beats as you sleep, allowing your brain to benefit from them while you slumber. In fact, it’s not recommended to play the beats unless you are planning to go to sleep or enter a relaxed and meditative state.

Getting Started

As with many things, it’s not recommended to jump into a full brainwave entrainment program straightaway. Instead, you should ease into the practice, and start with light meditations or treatments, and work your way to longer time periods and deeper sleeping states. The experts at Ascension Help suggest starting with 30 minutes and working your way up to 60 minutes. Again, try a light meditation first, and then experiment with deeper ones as you get used to the practice and feel confidence in how it is done.

Precautions For Brainwave Entrainment

First and foremost, Ascension Help strongly discourages using the brainwave meditations on anyone without their knowledge. In addition, you should never play the tracks on repeat all night while you sleep. Prepare your space for relaxation, but make sure that the recording will stop after the prescribed time period so that if you are sleeping and don’t wake up, it doesn’t continue all night long. Experts also say that you should be prepared for discomfort from time to time as the frequencies and beats do their job to heal and transform your mind.

What To Know About The Frequencies

Beta waves are those that are typically in operation while you are awake. However, according to SleepLearning.com, increasing beta waves can help with a range of issues, including insomnia, depression and attention deficit disorder. In fact, using beta waves in brainwave entrainment is said to increase IQ, boost mental function and improve focus. Alpha waves are used to help you enter a meditative state. Theta waves are those produced during deep sleep.

Their use in sleep wave entrainment is generally used for mental reprogramming or to speed the learning process. Some people report paranormal experiences in this state, so be very cautious when using theta waves. Finally, delta waves are the slowest and are generally emitted by your brain during dreamless sleep. Most people cannot use delta waves for brainwave entrainment, report the experts.

What Does The Research Say?

Before you try brainwave entrainment, it’s a good idea to see what the research says. Controlled studies can help you understand it better so that you can decide if it’s right for you or not. Most of the research thus far states that the technique can be an effective tool for therapy, but that it needs more research to understand it better, according to U.S. National Library of Science. That being said, some studies have published their results, helping paint a clearer picture of brainwave entrainment.

Current research says that using brainwaves can significantly improve the anxiety of hospital patients and reduce pain after surgical procedures. Other studies have seen promising results in treating childhood behavior problems, reducing stress, treating migraines and muscle pain and reducing pre-menstrual pain. More research is needed for medical practitioners to be able to definitively recommend brainwave entrainment for these purposes. If you think the method might be effective for your health, talk it over with your doctor, and get a referral for someone licensed to teach you how to do it.

How Much And How Long?

In general, you shouldn’t listen to your tracks more than once or twice per day or you risk over-stimulating your brain. If you find that you fall asleep during the tracks, but would like to remain awake, try listening to them sitting up and as far from morning or bedtime as is possible. You also need to give your brain a rest from the tracks so that it can use the therapy for good instead of becoming too overwhelmed to make good use of it.

You probably won’t notice results from the method after just one use. You’ll need to create a routine and schedule and should start to notice changes and improvements as time Pin It goes by. If you aren’t seeing the results and changes you want, talk to a professional about ways you can tweak your practice so that you can start seeing the results you’re after. Using brainwave entrainment can make huge improvements in your life and cognitive function, but you must have diligence and patience to make it work for you.

There isn’t going to be overnight success, so try to stay calm and keep at it until you begin to see the changes that prove it works. In the meantime, enjoy the downtime and relaxation that brainwave entrainment offers as that can be part of the improvement process you see as you continue with the program. Hopefully, this will be a positive experience for you, with practical results.

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Katherine Hurst
By John Coulson
Extensive training and experience spanning over 10 years developing a helpful range of complimentary treatment programs for people coping with stress, pain, injury and day to day challenges.

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