Note: If you enjoy this article, consider reading “Benefits of Alpha and Theta Brain Waves.”

Slower brain waves can keep us healthier: mentally and physically

Utilizing brainwave entrainment consistently can definitely yield many health-related benefits. Using alpha brain waves can result in calmness, peacefulness, and relaxation – which helps block stress from crippling our immune system. Boosting theta brain waves can improve our health by making us feel younger, giving us more energy, and improving our immune system. And finally, delta brain waves allow us to produce anti-aging hormones, they boost our immune system, and allow our body to replenish itself. Each of those “slower brain waves” sound like they can produce wonderful health benefits. It definitely sounds wonderful that these “slower brain waves” are able to do such a phenomenal job at keeping us healthy.

Powerful relaxation and better overall wellbeing

A common benefit to increasing the amount of slow brain waves [i.e. alpha, theta, delta] in your brain is feeling deeply relaxed. Scientists have found that when the brain is in slower brain wave states [like alpha and theta], it produces specific hormones and “neuropeptides.” These hormones and neuropeptides that are produced have been linked to boosted memory, creativity, and ability to learn.

Each time you lower the baseline frequency of your brain waves, the more you will feel the healthy anti-stress, anti-aging hormones and neuropeptides. These naturally boost your overall level of relaxation and wellbeing. What the slower brain waves also do is increase the amount of beneficial neurotransmitters and endorphins in the brain. For example: using alpha and theta brain waves will increase your overall level of relaxation by increasing the production of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is an extremely helpful neurotransmitter that has been linked to both mental and physical relaxation. Also, certain slower brainwave frequencies produce endorphins which make us feel good – like a “natural high.”

For these reasons, virtually any time you utilize brainwave entrainment, neurofeedback, meditation, or even yoga, you are able to feel more relaxed and peaceful. What do all of the mentioned exercises have in common? Though they may all be “different forms” of exercising your brain, in the end, they will all slow down your brain waves.

Why you feel “a natural high” after running

Though you may not know it or remember it, you’ve likely experienced “a natural high” – also known as, your body bein flooded with the production of endorphins. Each time that you go for a run or do any form of hard cardiovascular exercise, endorphins are released. Most people have experienced the benefits of endorphins; whether it be after a long run, basketball game, or other sporting event.

Though you will usually feel very exhausted and were very sweaty after a hard workout, you will also usually feel very good. After working out we naturally feel physically relaxed [and tired], plus – we feel mentally relaxed and calm. Though I highly recommend exercise to increase your overall level of wellbeing, it is not the only activity that will make you feel good by producing endorphins. Any time you utilize brainwave entrainment, neurofeedback, meditation, or yoga, in order to slow your brain waves, you will probably feel the same endorphins ["natural high"] that you did after a strenuous workout.

How endorphins boost our cognition [i.e. memory and learning]

Though you already know that endorphins allow our bodies to feel a natural high, you may not have known that each time we enter an alpha or theta brain wave state, specific endorphins kick-in that actually boost our overall cognition; they improve our memory and ability to learn. Scientific research has proved that in rats that were injected with endorphins had improved memories – they also were able to run through mazes more quickly. Research has also shown that the production of endorphins can actually reverse amnesia – [a condition in which memory is disrupted].

Researchers have also thought that the parts of the brain that are involved in the production of endorphins, are the exact same areas that are involved with memory and learning. One study even proposed that each time we learn – our brain releases endorphins to reward itself and to help us store our memories. This is why memorizing and ability to learn are boosted each time we have increased production of endorphins in our brains.

Increased endorphins in our brain has been linked to theta and alpha brain wave states of consciousness. Think about it: each time we are able to slow our brain waves to the alpha and / or theta range, it is naturally easier for us to drop our old beliefs and literally “learn” new beliefs. This is why you may have heard that slowing your brain waves down to theta and alpha ranges allows you to re-program your beliefs.

How alpha and theta brain waves boost our learning abilities

Catecholamines, acetylcholine, and vasopressin, are three [among many] of the beneficial hormones and other helpful neuropeptides that are produced in slower brain wave frequencies. Studies have shown that acetylcholine is vital for long term memory. They have also found that when acetylcholine production [in the brain] is high, we experience boosts in our long-term memory. More studies have found that when individuals take supplements that boost the production of acetylcholine in the brain, they are better at learning and have improved memories.

Individuals who have lower levels of acetylcholine usually struggle with tasks involving learning and memory. Individuals with the devastating Alzheimer’s disease usually have very low levels of acetylcholine. Theta brain waves have been specifically linked to the production of the neuropeptide vasopressin – a neuropeptide which improves reaction time, ability to learn, and ability to remember. Theta brain waves also have the ability to produce catecholamines which aid once again in our learning process and memory.

Boosted attention and alertness

It is not only our production of neuropeptides that allows us to learn more effectively in slower brainwave patterns. Because theta and alpha brain wave states are linked to relaxation, we experience decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and our entire body feels relaxed. This boosts the overall oxygen level in our brains and maximizes bloodflow to our cortex. This naturally boosts our attention span and level of alertness. Boosted attention and alertness makes it much easier to memorize and learn new things.

Slower brain waves and feeling young again

Are you a person that wishes you could get back some of the same energy you had when you were a kid? Though there are many products on the market to help you: look younger, feel more energetic, happier, and healthier, many do not work. Why? Because they don’t target your brain waves! Research has found that patterns of delta brain waves, theta brain waves, and alpha brain waves, positively affect the production of the hormones: melatonin, DHEA, and cortisol. These three brain wave patterns are able to slow aging, boost relaxation, and increase our overall wellbeing.

In the alpha and theta brain wave ranges, the amount of melatonin and DHEA is significantly boosted in our brains. Research has discovered that DHEA can increase over 50% in certain cases! Even more impressive were the studies on melatonin. Researchers found that slower brain waves boosted the production of melatonin by 300% in some cases! Average melatonin increases were nearly 100%… On top of all the other benefits, the production of cortisol – [a stress hormone usually produced by high-beta brain waves], declined by nearly 50%!

Increase anti-aging hormones

As mentioned earlier, the hormone “cortisol” is a powerful stress hormone that has potential to actually kill brain cells. It has been linked to sped-up aging, health problems, anxiety, and stress. Because of the problems associated with cortisol, it can have a significantly negative impact on our memory, ability to learn, and our overall wellbeing. It is definitely not favorable to have high levels of cortisol floating around in your body.

With that said, DHEA is a hormone that you want to have plenty of in your body. Like cortisol, it is produced by our adrenal glands. Usually, in your twenties, DHEA production will reach its maximum. In your thirties, DHEA production declines and as you age – it continues to decline. Individuals who are over 70 have roughly 1/5th the amount of DHEA as an individual in their twenties. When our DHEA levels drop low, we are more susceptible to developing disease, getting sick, and aging quickly. The higher we keep our levels of DHEA, the less likely we are to get sick, become stressed out, or speed up our aging process.

Lastly, we notice significant improvements with the hormone melatonin. Melatonin has been linked to better, more restful sleep. You already know that sleep is very beneficial for replenishing the brain and body with vital neurotransmitters and hormones. Each time we get a quality night’s sleep, we help ward off the aging process. When we get poor quality sleep, we speed up our aging process. Like DHEA, the amount of melatonin produced in our bodies declines as we get older. For this reason, it is important to lower our brain waves to the alpha and theta rhythms and boost our melatonin levels.

Why slower brain waves release helpful neurotransmitters

Hopefully, you now fully [or better] understand that when you increase your alpha, theta, and delta brain waves [slower brain waves] your brain naturally increases the production of beneficial hormones. This is why many people [including researchers] consider activities such as: brainwave entrainment, meditation, and yoga to be beneficial. Have you ever questioned why the brain produces these helpful hormones and neurotransmitters in the slower brainwave frequencies?

Well, according to scientific research, neurons ["brain cells"] are electrochemically triggered to produce certain neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and certain hormones at certain brainwave frequencies. Neurons are almost “activated” to produce certain neurochemicals when they are interacting with certain brainwave frequencies. Think of brain waves as communication in the brain. The neurons and the brain communicate by sending specific brainwave frequencies.

This is why each time your brain waves are slowed to the alpha range or theta range, they produce different, more helpful neurochemicals than they would in the beta range. Slowing your brain waves with entrainment is comparable to sending a direct message to your brain cells to start creating helpful neurochemicals. The concept is easy to understand too. Each time you get a quality night’s sleep, your brain shifts to the lower theta and delta ranges.

When you wake up, you usually feel like your energy supply has been replenished… That’s because your energy supply was replenished by the delta and theta brain waves. They produced many helpful, healing hormones and neurotransmitters while you were asleep! Though slower brain waves tend to have a lot of health-related benefits, you should never rule out your beta brain waves. Each brain wave has something helpful to offer / bring to the table.

5 Main Types Of Brainwaves:

1. Beta Brainwaves
2. Alpha Brainwaves
3. Theta Brainwaves
4. Delta Brainwaves
5. Gamma Brainwaves

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Note: If you enjoy this article, consider reading Understanding The “Alpha Brainwave”.

Alpha brain waves are the second fastest in the lineup of basic brain wave frequencies [beta, alpha, theta, delta] – beta waves being the fastest. Alpha brain waves are usually in the range of frequencies between 8 Hz – 12 Hz. Alpha waves are very easy to notice on the E.E.G. – they are very strong, smooth brain waves.

An interesting factoid: alpha brainwaves were the first brainwave group to be researched and the first group to be discovered. The alpha brain wave rhythm is also considered to be the “safest” of the brain wave frequencies to use during brainwave entrainment and neurofeedback. Why? Because out of all four groups of brain waves [beta, alpha, theta, delta], alpha waves usually yield the most benefits via entrainment and rarely produce any unwanted side-effects.

Alpha brainwaves bridge the conscious mind with the subconscious

Alpha brain waves allow you to understand what is going on in your subconscious mind after meditation and after dreaming. Without the presence of alpha waves in your E.E.G. after dreaming, your brain would not be able to transfer subconscious information to the conscious mind. Alpha waves are the connection that allows information to be transfered between subconscious and conscious. Each time you remember a dream that you had, you used alpha brain waves.

Each time that you visualize or go into meditation, your alpha brain waves likely kicked in. Alpha waves are a key part of providing clear, vivid visualization sessions. They allow you to use your imagination, tap your subconscious creativity, and express the creativity through your conscious mind. The alpha waves are usually also at work each time you daydream or use your imagination.

Why alpha brain waves are called “alpha brain waves”

Dr. Hans Berger who was a psychiatrist from Austria first discovered electrical waves in the brain in the year 1908. Berger called these electrical waves “alpha brain waves” due to the fact that they were the first brain wave to be discovered. Another interesting fact about Dr. Hans Berger is the fact that he was the inventor of the E.E.G. machine, better known as an electroencephalograph. The E.E.G. machine is what allows researchers, scientists, and neurofeedback practitioners to understand brainwave activity.

It works by amplifying, recording, and creating graphs of electrical activities in the brain. After using the E.E.G., researchers quickly found other forms of brain activity. Beta waves were discovered next, then delta waves, then theta waves. After all the basic brain waves were discovered, gamma brain waves were found.

Eventually, in the 1950′s, scientists discovered that it was indeed possible for individuals to learn to take full conscious control over their brainwaves. These scientists learned that meditation allowed people to slow their brain waves from the common beta range down to theta and alpha waves.

Know when you access “alpha brain waves”

Each time that you are daydreaming or not fully awake, you are in the alpha brain wave range. The state of mind ‘right-before’ you fall asleep is usually comprised of lots of alpha brain waves. Individuals who lack normal amounts of alpha brain waves usually have insomnia, anxiety, sleep disorders, or high stress. This is why increasing alpha waves for overstressed people can be extremely effective at helping them fall asleep.

I can personally vouch for the use of alpha brain waves to fall asleep. In fact, I used them last night to put me out! I played a 10 Hz alpha brain wave created session and within 10 minutes, I was asleep – I didn’t even know about it. They can be a great tool when utilized effectively! Other times that your brain uses alpha brain waves includes: each time you watch T.V., each time you are relaxing, each mediation session, each time you close your eyes, each time you breathe deeply, or feel completely relaxed during a hot / steamy shower.

For information on how you can increase the production of alpha brain waves in your brain, check out the article 20 Ways To Murder Stress. About 5 of the activities mentioned in that article will do a great job at increasing alpha production. Any time you feel relaxation, your alpha waves are at work! Each time that you feel both mentally and physically relaxed, you are in a state of alpha brain waves.

The first time that I heard about alpha brain waves, I thought that they sounded like a good brain wave range, but I also thought that they would make me drowsy and wanting to sleep, so I stayed away from using them and stuck with beta. When I finally decided to use alpha brain waves, it was an incredible experience.

I found a new state-of-mind that allowed me to remain peaceful, calm, and relaxed – all while maintaining a positive mental state. It really felt great to finally experience alpha waves. Now, I use alpha brain waves a lot more because I know what they can do for me. I use them to help me fall asleep quickly or for some powerful relaxation sessions. Each time when I’ve been stressed out and used alpha brain waves, my relaxation level skyrocketed after about 15 minutes of use. I really didn’t think they could work as effectively as they actually did!

My description of “alpha brain waves”

Think about your entire body and mind being fully relaxed and peaceful. You may feel slightly spaced out, but it actually feels very pleasant. If you’ve every got a very relaxing massage or sat in a hot-tub to the point of relaxation, this is what the alpha brain waves feel like. All of this will usually be followed by inner-calmness, silence, and quietude – as if your entire world was silent and completely still.

It’s still very difficult for you to fully understand alpha brain waves if you haven’t experienced them. In fact, some people NEVER experience the alpha range for most of their lives! Though my description definitely will help you understand alpha brain waves better, it is still recommended to experience them for yourself. Why? Because describing alpha brain waves is comparable to telling you what chocolate tastes like.

I can describe the chocolate by using many different adjectives and descriptors, but in the end, you really must try the chocolate in order to fully understand it and appreciate it. Same rules apply for the alpha brain wave state of consciousness. When you are finally able to fully understand the alpha brain wave range, you will feel liberated and open to an entirely new world!

It really is an amazing experience, but one that you need to experience for yourself. If you are interested in experiencing powerful alpha brain waves, I recommend either Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional or Mind Work Station. These products will get you started and definitely will help you get into the alpha range. I personally use Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional sessions usually at around 10 Hz and they’ve been absolutely phenomenal.

5 Main Types Of Brainwaves:

1. Beta Brainwaves
2. Alpha Brainwaves
3. Theta Brainwaves
4. Delta Brainwaves
5. Gamma Brainwaves

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After spending time reading about brain waves, you probably have gotten the impression that slowing down your brain waves from a high-beta state – or even from a normal beta state – down to an alpha or theta brainwave state can be very beneficial. There are tons of great side-effects that can occur from being able to shift your brainwaves to a slower, synchronized rhythm in the alpha or theta wave ranges. In this article, I hoped to cover some of the healthy effects that have long been associated with slowing your brain waves to a slower alpha or theta state of consciousness.

Slower brainwaves improve your memory

Do you often have trouble remembering where you set your car keys? How about your sunglasses? After meeting someone new, are you able to remember their name? Or are you the type of person who remembers the face, but can never remember the name? Maybe you forgot where you placed your i-Pod… You are desperately trying to think of where you put it, but no matter how much thinking you do, you just drive yourself crazy! Then, out of nowhere, a few days later, the exact location of your i-Pod magically pops into your head.

Each time you have the ability to recall a person’s facial features, past events, name (or nickname), or recall any other past information, the rhythms of your brain waves usually change temporarily from a state of beta to one of alpha. If you have ever been stressed for a long period of time, you get what’s called “alpha block.” Alpha block is a reduced ability to generate alpha brainwaves due to the high production rate of high-beta frequencies. When you aren’t able to generate a healthy amount of alpha, you’ll likely have reduced ability to remember things.

Understand that alpha brain waves are like a “go-between” that connect the conscious brain with the subconscious. This is why when you attempt to remember a past event, the brain quickly shifts into an alpha brainwave state – which allows you to dig up a memory from the subconscious and transfer it to your conscious mind. Once it is in the conscious [beta brainwave] mind, you are able to talk about the experience, write about it, and think about it.

Are you able to easily relax?

When you are able to easily relax after a stressful or highly-stimulating event, you’re brain waves are likely very flexible. You are likely easily able to shift to the slower, higher amplitude brainwaves of alpha and theta. In the alpha and theta states, you feel very peaceful, content, and relaxed – no matter what’s going on around you.

What many people may not realize is that it is impossible to access a state of alpha brain waves when you are not relaxed both mentally and physically! I think we all know that being able to remain calm and cool even when others are nervous or scared can definitely help you remain collected and allow you to make wise decisions – even when others are in states of panic. For this reason, slower brainwaves can help you make smart business decisions, peacefully mediate arguments, and even help others remain calm when they are in those high-beta brainwave, panicky states.

Look into the eyes of others

Have you ever looked directly at the eyes of another person when they attempt to remember something or dig up a past memory? It is common, in most people, to look directly up when trying to remember a past event. This is for a good explanation for the “looking up” though: researchers have discovered that each time that your eyes look 30 degrees upwards, the brain produces a short, quick burst of alpha brain waves.

The simple act of “closing your eyes” has been linked to an increased production of alpha brainwaves. Each time that you close your eyelids and look up [with your eyes still closed], the production of alpha brain waves becomes even more powerful. Most researchers on the topic aren’t fully knowledgeable as to why this happens. With that said, many spiritual teachers have come to believe that the increase in alpha is due to accessing your subconscious mind via an energy center on your forehead called the “brow” [or “third-eye”] chakra.

Note: If you’d like to further improve your memory, I highly recommend checking out my article: “Tips To Improve Your Memory.”

Peak performance and improved concentration

States of “peak performance”

Do you ever get the feeling that your life is going perfect? Or have you ever experienced a period of time in your life where you would describe things as “the best?” Maybe you got a hole in one golfing for the first time and improved your score for about a month straight. We all have had times in our lives when everything felt damn near perfect. This state of mind is referred to as “peak performance” or “in the zone.” Everything seems to “flow” perfectly and you feel as if nothing will go wrong. Time goes by incredibly quickly, and before you know it, you’ve already accomplished a huge task – that felt easy.

Though, not all of our days here go as smoothly as when we are in a state of “peak performance” or “optimal functioning.” The phenomenal news is that you can actually train your brain to shift into that “peak performance” or “in the zone” state of consciousness. Often times people aren’t aware that they can consciously replicate this state. Great ways to replicate this state of mind and take control of your reality are as follows:

• brainwave entrainment – you can flex your brain waves to this state temporarily
• meditation - you can take conscious control over your mental state
• neurofeedback – you can train your brain to produce this state
• self-hypnosis – you can train yourself to access a “zone type state.”

Alpha brainwaves improve our ability to concentrate

Alpha brain waves are able to significantly improve our ability to focus and concentrate. Why? Because alpha brain waves make you use both hemispheres of your brain in the process – instead of relying on your dominant side for concentration. Usually, individuals have a hemispheric dominance in their brains: either right or left. The majority of people have a dominant left-hemisphere. When you are able to access the alpha brainwave state, both hemispheres of your brain are able to share the dominance – they work together.

Sports Teams: Beta brainwaves = 1/2 team vs. Alpha brainwaves = full team

Think of it like a sports team – we’ll use football as an example. When you are in a beta brain wave state, usually only your left-hemisphere is active. So to go along with our “football example” – this would be like only the defense playing well, with the team’s offense being a non-factor. This team would likely loose the game, no matter how good their defense plays – they need to score on offense.

When your brain is able to shift down to an alpha brain wave state, think of it as both the offense and defense playing great together. Both are doing a great job and the team will have absolutely zero problems with winning the game. Alpha brain waves: things go much more smoothly when the team is playing well together and every player is performing. Beta brain waves: it is much more difficult to win when only 1/2 the team “shows up to play.”

Boost your overall energy, youth, and happiness

Have you ever wondered why young children have tons of energy in comparison to adults? Usually, children have so much energy and self-esteem that many adults literally can get tired just watching them. They are like little Energizer bunnies the way they keep going and going without any expression of fatigue… Take a second to think about how energized and “pumped up” children feel about their life. Kids always have a positive, happy-go-lucky, ready-for-anything, look on their faces.

Brain waves: Children vs. Adults

Scientists have thoroughly researched the brain waves of children. They found that children spend most of their time in either the “alpha brainwave” pattern, “theta brainwave” pattern, or a heavily mixed combination of both. As children grow up and become adults, their brains begin producing increased beta brain waves.

This is definitely not a bad thing, as mentioned in the article: Beta Brain Waves: Alert, Awake, and Stressful States. Why? Because without beta brain waves, we’d have a difficult time logically communicating, writing, analyzing, thinking, and organizing. The beta brainwave state is optimal for completing tasks like these.

A key problem, though, is that the majority of the adult population fails to recognize that they spend too much time in the beta brainwave state, and don’t get enough alpha or theta waves. The lack of alpha and theta brainwave patterns can reflect the feelings that adults have. Many may feel that “something is missing” in their lives, or even have a midlife crisis and attempt to rediscover their youth.

The alpha and theta waves are what people are missing when they are talking about trying to find the same happiness and carefree attitude as they did when they were a kid. The alpha brainwave patterns can bring back some much needed energy, happiness, and self-esteem that young children generally display. What if you were even able to direct your excess energy towards completing your goals?

You’d be literally unstoppable and the time you spend “working” would seem to fly by because you’d much more zest and excitement in your life. You can only imagine how much better your life would feel if you had extra self-esteem, a larger energy supply, and felt as happy as you did when you were a kid. Likely, you’d have much less resistance when attempting to accomplish bigger goals because you’d feel so great!

A boosted brain = a boosted immune system

Scientific breakthroughs have recently found a direct relationship between the health of the brain and the health of the body. Look up “psychoneuroimmunology” sometime and you’ll read about some interesting discoveries. Psychoneuroimmunologists understand that people who are consistently stressed out, emotionally drained or depressed, or other mental health issues, have a much more difficult time fending off sickness. These individuals come down with sicknesses much more often than those who feel positive, happy, and have a healthier brain.

Other scientific research has shown a clear link between slower brain waves and a quicker “healing time” from bodily injuries such as: bruises, cuts, scratches, or other deep wounds. What’s crazy is that some scientists even believe that when a person is in a state of alpha or theta brain waves, the healing-rate becomes 10 times quicker! This is really an impressive find.

The slower, alpha and theta brain wave patterns are often very common in the brains’ of people who consistently practice meditation. For this reason, it is not at all surprising that individuals who practice meditation can reap significant health-related benefits. Accessing alpha or theta brainwaves for just 20 minutes can result in lowered stress and anger levels, lower blood pressure, headache relief, and in some cases, even a happier mood!

After reading these claims awhile ago, I remained a bit skeptical. With that said, when I finally did some experimentation in the alpha and theta brainwave ranges, I came to notice an improved immune system, I felt healthier, and had more energy than normally. I still did get sick at times, but it was less frequently and I usually recovered at a quicker rate.

Say goodbye to your insomnia

I love the way alpha and theta brainwaves can work wonders for insomniacs. I used to struggle with insomnia and sometimes my only options were to: A) pop a Xanax and fall asleep or B) Stay up until 3:00 A.M. before finally managing to fall asleep. When popping a Xanax, I didn’t like the feeling of being “drugged up,” and having to rely on a pill to fall asleep. That is purely unnatural. When I stayed up until 3:00 A.M. I felt completely burnt out and tired the next day. Both options were horrible and stress had me in what I perceived lose-lose situation.

After finally discovering brainwave entrainment, I began to experiment with various sessions. I realized that in order for us to get quality sleep, our brains need to ’shift’ from the intense, fast-paced beta brainwaves down to alpha brainwaves. Without being able to shift from beta to alpha, we shift from the stressful “high-beta” directly to “theta” or “delta” and skip alpha. Skipping alpha in order to fall asleep results in terrible quality of sleep.

What worked best for me was using various alpha brainwave entrainment sessions via Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional while laying in bed, hoping to fall asleep. It seemed that even if I wasn’t able to fall asleep, I was in fact able to calm my racing-thoughts / rapid-thinking down to a relaxed state. This allowed me to at least fall asleep in a quicker period of time. After a couple weeks of consistently listening to alpha sessions before bed, I was able to fall asleep when I wanted and very quickly.

Stop and take a second to think about this. Being in an alpha brain wave state means feeling both mentally and physically relaxed. When your brain calms down into a state of alpha, the constant chatter [rapid-thoughts] of your beta brainwaves slow down. This state of “idling” in alpha allows your brain to shift even further down into the theta brain wave frequencies. You are now able to enjoy a healthy, good night’s sleep!

It is also important that in the first stage of sleep (N1), your brain always enters alpha. This is why when you slow your brain waves to the alpha range from beta, your brain naturally believes you are ready to fall asleep… Followed by this, something amazing happens: you do! You actually fall asleep and defeat your insomnia! Say goodbye to Ambien, Lunesta, [insert sleeping pill here], Xanax, alcohol, etc. Whoop whoop!

Take a nap and wake up in alpha waves

Waking up in an alpha brainwave state

Ever wake up feeling alert, energized, refreshed, and pumped up for the day? Well, each time that a person wakes up in an alpha brain wave state, they’ll usually feel highly energetic and is literally able to “jump out of bed.” No matter if you just slept a short period of time or a full night – if you wake up in an alpha brain wave state, you’ll feel extremely refreshed. Nearly 20 minutes after falling asleep, your brain shifts down into a state of alpha. After around 20 minutes, your brain dives down into the range of theta brain waves.

Famous people who had much success with “power naps”

The whole key is to wake up in a state of alpha. If you consistently wake up while your brain is in the delta brain wave rhythm or even theta, you will feel very groggy, tired, and will feel like sleeping a lot longer. This is why research has proved that taking a short power nap can increase your overall energy levels and boost your brain power.

When you take a short nap, you are very likely to wake up in a state of alpha. Many influential leaders who enjoyed taking power naps throughout their day include: Nikola Tesla, Albert Einstein, Napoleon Bonaparte, Salvador Dali, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, and Thomas Edison.

Why napping is good for your brain

A study done by researchers at Harvard University, found that individuals who took a small “power nap” at around midday, actually performed better at memory tasks and learning when compared to individuals who didn’t take a nap. Though it may seem ridiculous, many companies who have advocated napping at around lunchtime noticed significantly boosted mood and productivity amongst their workers.

The director at the Sleep Disorder Center of the University of New Mexico, named (Dr.) Amanda Beck, believes that it is best for everyone to take about a 15 minute nap at around noon. Why? Because even taking a 15 minute “power nap” can boost energy in tired workers. Dr. Beck also stated that, “In a lot of ways, taking a nap is lot better than a cup of coffee.” It definitely wouldn’t hurt to remind your boss of this interesting fact when he finds you asleep shortly after lunch break!

Boost your intuition and “gut instinct”

A cool side-effect associated with increased alpha waves- and especially increased theta brainwaves is a boosted intuition or “gut instinct.” Often times using our “gut instinct” and intuition can be of great help when making decisions. When your brain is in an alpha-theta brain wave state, you have access to the subconscious and deeper intuition. Has there ever been a time in your life when you were thinking of a person – and before you know it, you see that same person later in the day?

Some believe that it is the intuition – or even psychic ability – [provided by theta brainwaves] that allows us to be aware that we will probably see the person who pops into our head, predict that a person is going to call before they do, or even predict a song will come on the radio right before it does. This is how things work: alpha brain waves link your conscious mind with your subconscious mind.

When you are in an alpha-theta state, you are able to dig up some subconscious knowledge and intuition and transfer that information from the subconscious [theta waves], through the conscious-subconscious barrier [alpha waves], and into the conscious [beta waves]. This is why when your slower brainwaves are stronger, it is easier to dig up subconscious advice, memories, or other information.

Interesting facts about slow brain waves

Women are naturally more intuitive than men

Have you ever heard the rumor that women have strong intuitions? Well, if you have, that rumor is actually true! After analyzing the brain waves of women and men, scientists learned that most womens’ brains are naturally running at slower brain wave rhythms than the brains’ of men. On average, the brains of women were found to be operating near the alpha range during their waking hours. For this reason, women can tend to dig up a lot of subconscious dirt via their intuition and sense certain things that most men likely aren’t aware of.

Younger children are highly intuitive

Younger children are also very intuitive. Right before arguments or negative situations, most children can sense when there’s something wrong. This is because most kids have plenty of alpha and theta brain waves. Interestingly enough, the same concept applies for animals – your pets. Oddly enough, the brain waves of animals have been discovered to be primarily in the theta range of high intuition and emotion.

Your pets are extremely intuitive too

For the pet owners out there – you probably understand that your dog or cat seems to know when something is wrong or when you feel angry. Many times, animals have been reported as having E.S.P abilities: they warn their caretaker in some way before a devastating event – they usually act very funny or differently. There are also sometimes cases where dogs seem to sense their owners coming back to the house – without actually seeing them pull in to the garage. It is the intuition that is provided by theta waves that gives them some extra knowledge about their owners’ returning to the house.

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What are alpha brain waves?

Alpha brain waves are considered relaxed brainwave activity. Alpha brainwaves are brainwaves that cycle within the range of 8 – 12 Hz and are usually generated in the brains right hemisphere or in a synchronized pattern between both right and left hemispheres. Alpha waves kick in when our mind and body are completely relaxed and free of stress.

Alpha is generally thought of as the normal brainwave that is dominant in people who are relaxed, creative, and have a clear mind. Alpha is considered the “normal” brainwave pattern and is dominant when people close their eyes. Children tend to have much higher levels of alpha brainwaves than adults. Alpha brainwaves are considered the healthiest brainwave range and 10 Hz has widely been accepted as the “safest” brainwave frequency to train.

Most children and younger teenagers have a dominant alpha rhythm. There isn’t a single brain wave pattern is better than the others – so don’t think alpha brainwaves are a “cure all.” If your brain is deficient in the alpha brainwave pattern, increasing them can feel awesome! I can personally testify based on my experience.

Benefits of increasing alpha brain waves:

• Relaxed body and mind - The alpha brainwave is associated with a completely relaxed body and mind. The brain’s thought process is slowed and the mind is clear. The body is completely relaxed and free of all tension and nervousness. Boosting the alpha brain wave is a great way to enjoy the feeling of relaxation and a great way to let go of all worries and tension.

• Higher levels of creativity - The alpha brainwave rhythm is generally associated with above average levels of creativity. Alpha brainwave levels are found to be much higher in artists, musicians, and creative thinkers. Creative problem solvers are what many employers currently need to think of new, creative, innovative ideas for their companies. If you’d like to boost your creativity, consider giving alpha brainwaves a boost. Scientists have shown that highly-creative individuals tent to have different brainwaves than normal and less creative people. In order to be creative, your brain must be able to produce bursts of alpha brainwaves: mostly in the left-hemisphere. Why? Producing them on the left hemisphere shuts down the left-brain and allows the more creative, right-hemisphere to expose new ideas!

• Improved ability to problem-solve - The problem associated with having too much of the beta brainwave pattern is the inabiltiy to problem solve and get past “mental blocks” by thinking creatively. Ever get writer’s block? Increasing your alpha brainwaves will most likely help you keep “flowing” right through your paper or article without getting “stuck.”

• Balanced mood (emotional stability) - The alpha brainwave, especially the 10 Hz frequency, is associated with a balanced mood and stable emotions. Many overanxious and hyperactive, unstable people could greatly improve their brains by increasing their alpha brainwaves. Feeling emotionally stable means not overreacting to stressful situations and being able to maintain a calm state of mind. The alpha brainwave state is associated with a very stable state of mind.

• Peak-performance – The 10 Hz alpha brainwave frequency is commonly referred to as a “peak performance” state of mind or being “in the zone.” There has been conclusive evidence from studies with professional basketball players and golfers that show alpha brainwaves increasing in their “left hemispheres” just before making a free-throw or shooting a great golf shot. In players that did not make the shot, beta brainwaves flooded their left-hemisphere. It seems that “over thinking” (beta brainwaves) or “under thinking” (theta brainwaves) are detrimental to gameplay. The study was also proved by comparing elite marksmen to novice marksmen. The elite marksmen showed a big burst of alpha in their left-brain hemisphere before their perfect shots. Professional athletes are much more likely to show the alpha rhythm, while novices and intermediate players show virtually none! It seems that the 10 Hz alpha brainwave is the best brainwave for athletes and marskmen looking to improve their performance and overall game.

• Lowered levels of stress & anxiety - Lowered levels of stress and anxiety is a huge benefit that the alpha brainwave can bring to your life. Know anyone suffering from chronic stress or rapid, anxious thoughts? Suggest brainwave entrainment to them and have them read over this article to see whether or not they’d like to try to increase their alpha brainwaves.

• Flow state of consciousness – A state of “flow,” refers to a mental state that all events and things seem to pass without problems. You are able to deal with life’s problems easily and aren’t overanxious or too relaxed. You are somewhere in between overstimulation and understimulation. In essence, you’re mind is “balanced” and in an optimal state of functioning.

• “Super learning” ability – The alpha brainwave spectrum has been associated with “super learning” and being able to remember and retain information with less overall effort. The alpha brainwave state mostly improves one’s natural ability to passively absorb large amounts of information. Basically, you don’t need to make as much of an effort to learn a new ability, language, or skill.

• Boosted immune system - Enhancing your alpha brainwaves can lead to self-healing and prevention of illness. This is due to the fact that alpha waves are usually associated with “lack of stress” and “relaxation.” Stress and too much anxiety can do harm to the immune system by releasing harmful chemicals such as epinephrine (adrenaline) and too much of the hormone: cortisol, associated with the adrenaline release.

• Positive thinking – There has been some research that has found the alpha brainwave rhythm, especially the 10 Hz frequency, to be associated with a positive state of mind (i.e. positive thoughts), a positive mood, and an overall feeling of wellness. In my experience with alpha brainwaves, the positive thoughts and mood definitely were due to my enhanced level of relaxation.

• Increased levels of “serotonin” – Alpha brainwaves are associated with the neurotransmitter serotonin being released. Low levels of serotonin have been one factor that some researchers have linked to depression.

• Deep self-introspection – Alpha brainwaves are associated with an increased awareness of your self: body and mind. Where as beta brainwaves cause the mind to focus more on external events, the alpha brainwaves enhance the overall awareness of one’s self.

Who has high amounts of alpha brainwaves?

• Extroverts - Compared to introverts, extroverts have much more alpha brainwave activity. Researchers in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology Sydney have discovered that the type of brainwaves in the prefronal cortex has correlated to introversion and extroversion. According to the results from their study: “If you have high amounts of alpha brainwaves, you are at least three times as likely to be an extrovert.”

• Meditators – The goal of many meditation practices is to increase the amount of slower, alpha and theta brainwave patterns. Naturally your brain will enter a state of alpha awareness and calmness. Experienced meditators can recognize and control this state of awareness. Like any practice, the more you do it, the easier it becomes to enter alpha through meditation.

• Children – Children tend to have much higher amounts of alpha and theta brainwaves than the average population. As we age, our beta brainwave pattern tends to increase and dominate the other patterns. That is why many adults would definitely benefit from an alpha brainwave increase more than a younger person.

Just like any of the other brainwave patterns, too much of a dominant rhythm can cause problems. By no means would it be recommended to increase a brainwave that you already have high levels of. In fact, you may experience some negative affects from the alpha brainwaves.

Problems associated with too many alpha brainwaves:

• Lack of focus - Like I mentioned earlier, not everyone will benefit from an alpha brainwave increase. Though the alpha brainwave isn’t usually linked to lack of focus and ADD, in some cases it can created a foggy state of mind. If you are already very unfocused, increasing the alpha brainwave pattern is usually not recommended.

• Too many daydreams – As you increase your alpha brainwaves, you may have too many daydreams without much control. Some daydreams are fine, but higher than average amounts of alpha brainwaves wouldn’t be of much benefit if you are already daydreamy.

• Depression – High amounts of alpha brainwaves in conjunction with relatively little beta brainwave activity has been linked to depression. Though peak-performers are able to generate a big burst of alpha in their left hemisphere right before their best shots, too much alpha activity in the left-hemisphere of the brain has been linked to depression. If you are depressed from being overstimulated, alpha will probably help you out, if you are too understimulated, I suggest staying away from alpha and sticking to beta waves.

• Tiredness – The alpha brainwave pattern has been linked to tiredness and drowsiness in some individuals. If you are working to increase your alpha and you notice yourself becoming tired or drowsy, it may be temporary and your brain is most likely readjusting to fit the new pattern. With that said, alpha brainwaves are the brainwaves that are naturally produced right after you close your eyes to fall asleep.

• Lack of excitement – Though it is usually rare, some people may run into the problem of not feeling excitement for awhile. After my personal experience with alpha brainwaves, I felt super relaxed and unexcited for a couple weeks. It definitely helped calm my mind, but I did miss the feeling of excitement.

• Lack of visual acuity – Alpha brainwaves are associated with a lack of visual acuity and visual awareness. Beta brainwaves are associated with heightened visual awareness and acuity. When slowing your brainwaves down to the alpha range, the visual area of the brain is also much less clear.

• Overly receptive – In the alpha brainwave state, your brain may be overly receptive to suggestions and new information. Being overly receptive isn’t always a good thing and can make your subconscious more open to accepting negative suggested beliefs.

Healthy ways to increase alpha brainwaves:

• Brainwave entrainment - As I mention a lot, brainwave entrainment is great for fine tuning your state of consciousness and awareness. If you want to increase your alpha brainwaves, I recommend trying any of the programs in my “recommended products” section. Brainwave entrainment is an easy process that involves simply listening to a tone (stimulus) and your brainwaves naturally match the frequency associated with the tone.

• Meditation - The goal of most types of meditation is to lower the brainwaves into the alpha-theta brainwave range. A very safe, healthy way to increase your alpha brainwaves is to make meditation a daily habit or start up a meditation routine. If you are already meditating, great! You’ll naturally increase flexibility with your alpha brainwaves as you continue the process.

• Self-hypnosis – The goal of self-hypnosis is to target the lower brainwave ranges (i.e. alpha and theta). Doing self-hypnosis on a consistent basis will definitely help you reduce stress by increasing the natural amount of your alpha brainwaves.

• Visualization - Every time that you close your eyes and visualize, alpha activity significantly increases. If you are the type of person that often enjoys shutting your eyes to imaging or picture things, you’ll have a naturally higher amount of alpha brainwave activity than others. Visualization can go hand-in-hand with a meditation practice, but if you’d rather only visualize, you’ll still be boosting your alpha brainwaves!

• Yoga – Like meditation, yoga is yet another activity that promotes relaxation and wellbeing by shifting your brainwaves to the calming patterns of alpha and theta. There are many different types of yoga, and if practiced right, they’ll definitely allow you to tap into your alpha awareness.

• Deep-breathing – Deep breathing is not only great for improving overall oxygen levels in the brain and body, it is great for achieving a state of relaxation. When you make deep-breathing a habit, you will begin to feel more relaxed and your brainwaves will shift from the somewhat stressful beta brainwaves to the alpha rhythm.

• Saunas / Hot Tubs – Not only do saunas and hot tubs cause your entire body to feel completely relaxed, they cause your mind to quiet and drowsiness to kick in. The brainwave associated with those feelings of relaxation like you’ve been sitting in a hot tub or in a steamy sauna are the alpha waves. Same would apply for laying in the sun tanning on a nice warm beach — feeling the hot sun soak into your body is deeply relaxing. That feeling of deep relaxation is due to an increased amount of alpha brainwaves.

• Watching T.V. – After just 30 seconds of watching T.V., your brain’s alpha brainwaves kick in. Even if you happen to be reading captions or text on the T.V. screen, the alpha waves still kick in! Normally, beta brainwaves kick in while reading, but not while reading on T.V. All radiant light from cathode-ray technology in T.V.’s and other appliances automatically cause the brain to idle and shift to the alpha rhythm. I personally don’t consider watching T.V. to be the best way to increase your alpha brainwaves, but I’m not going to put it in the unhealthy category.

Unhealthy ways to increase alpha brainwaves:

• Drinking alcohol – In moderation, alcohol probably won’t kill your precious brain cells, but it isn’t a healthy activity for your body or your brain. Alcohol is a huge alpha brainwave booster. Are you a person that is constantly getting drunk to relax? Alpha brainwaves are the reason that tense and stressed people turn to alcohol. When you are drunk, your brain produces lots of alpha brainwaves and lowers your inhibitions.

• Smoking marijuana - Though there is controversy as to whether or not smoking marijuana is good or bad, I personally don’t consider marijuana or any other illegal substance to be healthy. Smoking marijuana does increase alpha brainwaves, which is why smoking marijuana makes people feel relaxed. Marijuana will not give you the aware, synchronized, peak-performance alpha brainwave that most people are striving for.

Final evaluation of alpha brainwaves:

I personally think that alpha brainwaves feel awesome to increase and the 10 Hz brainwave is the safest brainwave to entrain. However, you should be the judge as to whether or not increasing them is best for you. If you are already experiencing many of the listed “benefits,” you probably don’t need much of an alpha booster.

Are you already a relaxed, laid back person that feels emotionally stable? If so, chances are good that your brain naturally produces large amounts of alpha brainwave activity and you may be perfect in the alpha range. If you are experiencing too many of the listed negative effects, you may want to consider speeding up your brainwaves into the beta range.

If you are over anxious, tend to worry a lot, and aren’t emotionally balanced, chances are good that you’d benefit from the alpha increase. If you are going to do alpha brainwave entrainment with Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional, I highly recommend trying the 10 Hz frequency. If you purchase Neuro-Programmer 2 or any of my recommended brainwave products, you can create a customized 10 Hz alpha brainwave session – it isn’t built into the session library. If you are confused about your brainwave pattern, consider giving Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional some experimentation and seeing how your brain reacts and reality changes.

If you’d like to experience Alpha brainwaves:

If you have ever given alpha brainwaves a shot, I’d really like to hear your experience in the comments section. If you are interested in experiencing some alpha brainwaves or have any questions for me, feel free to send me a message through my contact form. I appreciate when you buy products through my referral ads to help me pay for blog hosting services and the promotion of this blog! Increasing your alpha brainwave pattern is definitely an experience that has potential to boost your brain power.

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Alpha brain waves appear on the E.E.G. in most people when they are in a relaxed state like “right before falling asleep” or immediately upon awakening. Alpha brain waves are common in extroverts with low traits of neurosis and anxiety. Caffeine and stress deplete the amount of natural alpha brain waves produced by the brain. In the alpha brainwave state, the mind is clear and focused, while the body is relaxed and calm. There are many reasons that you should be interested in increasing the amount of natural alpha activity in your brain.

Key reasons being:

• A sense of a relaxed mind & body - The alpha brain wave will calm you down quicker than you’d ever imagined. I really didn’t think the alpha brainwave could do much for my high stress levels, but after about 5 to 10 minutes of listening to a customized brainwave entrainment session, I immediately was calm and relaxed! The alpha brainwave actually increases the neurotransmitter “serotonin” – which is low in people with depression and anxiety.

• Enhanced creativity - The alpha brainwave has been linked to highly creative minds. Most people’s brainwaves shift to the logical “beta” brainwave when involved in a task requiring them to become creative. In creative people’s brains, the alpha activity actually increases when they need to be creative on the fly. Their brains actually ‘shift’ to the alpha brainwave and the amplitude increases.

• A state of “flow” - A state of flow can be described as life moving along quickly because there are really no mental obstacles such as stress or anxiety. To keep it simple: as new situations arise, you are able to successfully deal with them and move on to the next phase of life. Many successful people know how to tap into the state of “flow” when they need to do hard business work. For all writers out there, the state of flow is the exact opposite effect of writer’s block. “Flow” would mean that as a writer, you would be able to quickly produce quality content and not get mentally “stuck;” your mind keeps bringing more information.

• “Superlearning” - “Superlearning” is a phenomena of the alpha and theta brainwave ranges that has been studied by many scientists. The fact is, when you are in a lower brainwave pattern, the brain is able to absorb and learn more new information in a much quicker period of time. The “superlearning” state of mind is optimal for learning a foreign language or a new skill!

• Relaxed, yet “aware” – The nice thing about the alpha brainwave state is you can remain very relaxed, yet still be “aware” of your surroundings and “conscious” of what’s going on. If you dip in to too low of brainwaves i.e. the theta range, you will be very relaxed, but not as aware of your environment. The too much theta activity is found in the E.E.G.’s of people with A.D.D. & A.D.H.D. And the 10 Hz alpha brainwave is considered to be the safest brainwave!

• The “safest” brainwave – If you get up into the beta brainwave range, too much stress and logical thinking can run your mind in circles. Too much theta and you are relaxed, but not very aware. The alpha brainwave can be considered the “perfect mix” or “border” between the beta range and theta range. Some people actually are born with zero alpha activity in their brains. Does this mean that they cannot ever add alpha activity? Absolutely not! In fact, it would most likely highly benefit the person lacking the alpha rhythm.

If you would like to experience the alpha brainwave state, I recommend either purchasing or trying one of my featured recommended products. I personally use all of my recommended products and have had much personal success with them. I still use the software to improve my focus, decrease my stress levels, and to boost my productivity. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the products.

Other ways to increase the alpha brainwave include:

1. Meditation
2. Biofeedback/Neurofeedback
3. Yoga
4. Visualization
5. Deep breathing
6. Light & Sound Machines

I had a very unique personal experience with increasing my alpha brainwave pattern via Neuro-Programmer 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely noticed a change in my consciousness that I may not have been fully ready to experience.

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A few months ago, I decided to buy and try out the program Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional. My primary intention when using the product was to create sessions to reduce my anxiety and improve my focus. The program Neuro-Programmer 2 works by changing your brainwaves — patterns of electrical activity in the brain. There are 5 primary types of brainwaves that have been researched:

• Gamma Brainwaves (40 Hz +) — The 40 Hz gamma brainwave is found in advanced sensory processing, heightened focus, and coordinates simultaneous processing of information throughout the brain. Increased gamma activity is associated with a good-memory. Lack of the 40 Hz brainwave is found in people with learning disabilities.

• Beta Brainwaves (12 – 40 Hz A.K.A cycles per second in your brain) — these are associated with external focus and being consciously alert. When we feel afraid, agitated, or tense we are high in beta. People with anxiety disorders are found to have too much high beta activity. Some calming to the alpha brainwave may help.

• Alpha Brainwaves (8 – 10 Hz) — the alpha rhythm is associated with feelings of calm, pleasant relaxation, and daydreaming activity. Extroverts are found to naturally have more baseline alpha activity, while introverts naturally have more baseline beta activity. The 10 Hz brainwave is associated with serotonin release, feelings of “flow”, “superlearning”, positive thinking, and creativity.

• Theta Brainwaves (4 – 7 Hz) — Are very slow brainwaves that the brain produces while we are asleep. Theta activity is usually high in children, people with A.D.D., depression, and learning disorders. The theta rhythm is associated with being extremely relaxed, emotional, unfocused thoughts, paranormal experiences, and enhanced creativity. When most people wake up, theta activity quickly decreases and our brains shift through alpha and to the beta range where we remain most of the day. In people with A.D.D., the theta wave increases when they wake up and when they try to focus, which is why they find it very difficult to focus.

• Delta Brainwaves (1 – 4 Hz) — These are the slowest brainwaves. If you are in this brainwave state, you are in the deepest form of sleep (dreamless sleep) and completely unconscious. Delta brainwaves are very restorative and help to naturally release Human Growth Hormone, DHEA, and melatonin, which all slow the aging process.

Something you all should know is that everyone’s brain produces a combination of all brainwaves all the time. There are only increases in certain brainwaves depending on the activities that are being done. For example: during deep delta activity, there are still traces of beta activity. The traces of beta are extremely small, but they are there.

The opposite is true as well: when there’s high beta activity, there are still traces of delta, but they are extremely tiny. There’s something else that you should know about called brainwave amplitude. Brainwave amplitude increases when there are lower brainwave ranges present (i.e. alpha, theta and delta) and the amplitude decreases with higher frequency ranges (i.e. gamma and beta). If you are entrained to a specific frequency, the amplitude of that frequency increases.

The B.A.T. Triad

Research has been done to find out problems associated with brainwaves. The BAT Triad is a general rule of thumb to follow when training. It says that there should be: increased higher frequency activity in the brain’s left hemisphere (gamma & beta) than the right hemisphere and there should be increased slow wave activity in the right hemisphere and decreased slow wave activity (alpha & theta) in the left hemisphere.

Basically, if there is too much beta activity in the right hemisphere of the brain, the result is anxiety. If there is too much slow wave activity in the left hemisphere (i.e. theta), depression follows. It is generally optimal to have beta in the left hemisphere and alpha & theta in the right.

For more information on brainwaves, I recommend reading the book “Getting Started With Neurofeedback” by John Demos. This book contains a shrine of information about brainwaves… It gets a bit complicated in parts, but it will really help enhance your overall understanding in brainwaves.

How Brain Wave[s] Technology Works

“When the brain is given a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response.” So basically, if I use an isochronic tone, (the most effective tone for brainwave entrainment) set the tone to 10 Hz and play it, I will get an evoked alpha response. If I play the isochronic tone in both ears or through my speakers without headphones, my brainwaves will become synchronized.

Brainwave synchronization is usually healthy and fine, but it doesn’t work out for everyone, which is whytransparent corporation offers individualized hemisphere entrainment via isochronic tones. Other forms of entrainment include binaural beats and monaural beats. Binaural beats, which include 2 tones, require that you wear headphones for them to be effective. The idea of binaural beats is that 2 different tones are applied to each ear, then the difference between the 2 tones evokes a cortical brainwave response.

An example: a beat of 110 hz is applied to the right ear and a beat of 100 hz is applied to the right ear. The difference (110 – 100) = a 10 hz entrainment response. Monaural beats are similar to isochronic tones in the fact that they can be used for entrainment without headphones, but they just aren’t as effective as the isochronic tones.

After buying a package deal of their Neuro-Programmer 2 Professional with the program Mind Sound Stereo, I read up on the different types of brainwaves to see what I thought would be healthy to use. I came across a lot of good articles and research pertaining the “10 Hz Alpha Brainwave.” Since alpha activity correlated with reduction of anxiety, relaxation, calmness, and focus, I felt that I had nothing to lose.

My Experience With 10 Hz Alpha

When I began my journey with alpha, I initially felt highly unfocused, day-dreamy, relaxed, pleasant, and didn’t care what anyone said or thought about me if it was negative. I thought this was very cool. Initially, my overall energy levels decreased and I felt that my thoughts were way too unfocused. Though I felt very weird coming down from an extremely high beta brainwave pattern, it was worth it.

I went through a very tough period of about 2 months wondering if I would ever feel normal again. I woke up each day and my consciousness was different than the day before. I also was able to, for the first time in my life, not wake up in the mornings to eat breakfast. This period lasted for about a month, I would hear my alarm clock and unintentionally drift back to sleep until about 10 minutes before I needed to leave each morning.

I had virtually no time to just brush my teeth, and get ready. When I arrived at work, I felt very pleasant, but unfocused and almost too relaxed. Though I felt this way, I still kept up the entrainment. It was about the 3rd month of my alpha entrainment experimentation and I was not doing daily training. I would do it once about every other week. Eventually I came to a state of focus, relaxation, and what I believe to be a happy, normal state.

I really never thought I would reach this point. Now, I notice that the alpha brainwave kicks in and is stronger than it used to be at various times throughout the day. It seems that my brain is able to shift between alpha and beta throughout the day.  I don’t consciously shift between the 2 (as I would be able to if I was an experienced meditator or did neurofeedback), but my brain automatically shifts to alpha when I am involved in a calm activity where less brainwave activity is required like watching T.V. and falling asleep. Overall, this has been a success story! I will continue experimenting with various brainwaves for set time periods to study their effects on my emotions and state of consciousness.

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