A binaural beat is an illusion created by your brain when you listen to two tones with slightly different frequencies at the same time, one in each ear. Some early research suggests that listening to binaural beats can change your brainwaves.
Studies have looked at whether binaural beats can help you with stress, anxiety, focus, and more.
"There's a growing body of research exploring how different types of binaural beats affect various functions," says Anastasiia Melnichuk, a neuroscience researcher studying binaural beats at The University of Texas at Austin. "Some studies have shown promising effects on anxiety, pain perception, attention, and memory. That said, results can vary depending on the specific parameters of the beats and the task being measured."
While listening to binaural beats is safe, more study is needed to understand if and how they affect your brain and how to use them in ways that may be useful.
Your Brain and Binaural Beats
Your brain interprets the two tones as a beat of its own. The two tones align with your brain waves, creating a beat with a different frequency. This frequency is the difference in hertz (Hz) between the frequencies of the two tones.
For example, if you're listening to a 440 Hz tone with your left ear and a 444 Hz tone with your right ear, you'll hear a 4 Hz tone.
When you listen to binaural beats, your brain activity matches the frequency set by the frequency of the beat. This is called the frequency-following effect. It means you may be able to use binaural beats to train your mind to reach a certain mental state. But more study is needed.
"There’s no clear consensus yet on how binaural beats work," Melnichuk says. "We know that the brain can 'follow' the beat frequency through something called a frequency-following response. But the exact mechanisms linking that brain activity to changes in things like attention or memory haven’t been pinned down yet."
Superior olivary complex and binaural beats
Located in your brain stem, the superior olivary complex is the first part of your brain that processes sound input from both ears. It helps sync the activities of many neurons in your brain and responds to two close frequencies by creating a binaural beat. This changes your brain waves. The synchronization of the neural activities across your brain is called entrainment.
Entrainment isn't just related to binaural beats. It's a common part of brain function. According to some researchers, when you listen to certain binaural beats, they can increase the strength of certain brain waves. They feel this may increase or hold back different brain functions that control your thinking and feeling.
5 Types of Brain Waves That Affect Binaural Beats
Neurons in your brain use electrical signals to create thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. When neurons synchronize, this creates brain waves. Brain waves can be measured by a technique called electroencephalography (EEG). It involves electrodes that are put on your scalp to record electric signals.
Brain waves can range from low frequency with high amplitude to high frequency with low amplitude. Your brain waves create binaural beats. Researchers are looking into whether this leads to different mental states that can affect your brain in different ways.
There are five different brain waves:
Delta (1-4 Hz)
Delta is the lowest frequency state, and it's linked to:
- Deep sleep
- Healing and pain relief
- Meditation
- Anti-aging effects (such as lower cortisol and increased dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA)
- Access to the unconscious mind
Theta (4-8 Hz)
The benefits of theta binaural beats include:
- Meditation
- Deep relaxation
- Creativity
Alpha (8-14 Hz)
When you are in an alpha state of mind, your brain is focused and productive. Alpha brain waves help you:
- Relax and focus
- Lower stress
- Maintain positive thinking
- Increase your learning capabilities and creativity
- Easily engage in activities and the environment because you are in a state of flow
Beta (14-30 Hz)
Beta is a higher frequency brainwave and is linked to:
- Focused attention
- Analytical thinking and problem-solving
- Increased energy and action
- High-level cognition
Gamma (30-100 Hz)
With a higher frequency than beta, these brain waves help with:
- Deeper concentration or focus
- Attention to detail, improving memory recall
- A different way of thinking, which is a sign of creativity
"The frequency you use really matters," Melnichuk says. "If you're looking to boost cognitive performance — like focus or working memory — higher frequencies like beta or gamma tend to be more effective. For relaxation or anxiety, lower frequencies like theta or delta might work better. Since there's little to no risk, I'd encourage people to experiment and see what works best for them."
Benefits of Binaural Beats
There's limited clinical research on binaural beats. Studies have found mixed or unclear results, and many questions remain.
For example, a 2025 study led by Melnichuk found that gamma-frequency beats at a low pitch and those combined with white noise improved overall attention. But they didn’t stop attention from declining over time.
"Our EEG data also confirmed that the beats were actually entraining brain activity at their respective frequencies — beta or gamma — which is an important validation," she says.
Possible benefits of binaural beats may include:
- Increased creativity and improved thinking (cognitive enhancement)
- Lower anxiety and improved mood
- Helping you enter a meditative state
- Better sleeping habits
- Improved focus, attention, and memory retention
There are very mixed results of research on binaural beats. A 2023 study looked at the effects of using binaural beats at home while taking an intelligence test. It compared binaural beats with silence or neutral sounds. The study of 1,000 people found that binaural beats led them to get worse test scores. The finding suggests that brain stimulation with binaural beats at home might have unintended and negative effects on your thinking or attention, causing them to get weaker.
"Previously, even when binaural beats were discussed as a tool for brain stimulation during learning or other everyday cognitive activities, experiments were conducted only in laboratory settings," says Michal Klichowski, a cognitive neuroscientist who led the study at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland. "Our ecologically valid study demonstrated that binaural beats do not work as intended — in fact, they can impair cognitive performance. However, this does not mean they have no effect on brain function. Rather, we still know too little about how they influence the brain to recommend their use in everyday life. That is why we continue to investigate this phenomenon."
Talk to your doctor before using binaural beats for health reasons. If you try binaural beats and they don't seem helpful, try listening to beats at a different frequency or stop using them.
Binaural beats for sleep
Some studies suggest binaural beats may help with sleep. They may also help you:
- Sleep more deeply
- Feel more refreshed when you wake up
- Feel less sleepy
- Wake up more easily
- Reduce anxiety to improve sleep
One study tested alpha entrainment before sleep in people with pain from fibromyalgia. The study compared binaural beats with other sounds that weren't expected to entrain brainwaves. It found that alpha entrainment helped with pain at night and improved sleep quality. Overall, the findings suggested listening to binaural beats before bedtime might help with pain and sleep. But more study is needed on more people over a longer time before binaural beats can be recommended.
Another study tested whether binaural beats could help healthy people fall asleep faster during a 90-minute nap period. The findings suggested binaural beats at slow frequencies could make it easier to sleep during daytime naps.
More study is needed to understand how binaural beats affect sleep and to find the best ways to use them. If you're having trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor to get help.
Side Effects of Binaural Beats
In general, binaural beats don't have lasting side effects. You might not even notice them.
"You typically don't feel anything physically," Melnichuk says. "Some people might notice a cognitive improvement — like better focus — but depending on how the audio is constructed, you might not even hear the beat itself."
Studies have mixed results about the relationship between binaural beats and depression. Some suggest they help with depression, but others have linked them to increased feelings of depression. But Menichuk says serious side effects aren't likely. "They're low-risk and easy to try at home with just headphones and an internet connection," she says.
Some research shows binary beats may be good for your mental health, as they may be linked to better sleep and positive feelings. However, there's not enough research to support binaural beats as a standalone medical treatment. But they may have benefits as a complementary strategy, used along with more traditional treatments.
Many binaural beats are available online. Your reactions to them may vary from someone else's. You'll need to experiment with different binary beats to find the ones that suit you. Their effectiveness depends on the listener. Some people find them effective. But you might find them irritating, distracting, or unhelpful.
Takeaways
Binaural beats are tones that are slightly mismatched, causing you to hear a third tone. Some early research suggests they may affect your brainwaves in ways that may help with attention, anxiety, sleep, and more. But other studies found unclear and mixed results. There aren't scientifically proven guidelines for how best to use binaural beats, or whether they can improve your mental health and thinking.
Binaural Beats FAQs
What do binaural beats actually do?
Binaural beats can affect your brainwaves. Some researchers feel they may be able to alter your mental state in helpful ways. But more study is needed to understand exactly how they affect your brain and how that leads to changes in your mental states.
Is it OK to listen to binaural beats daily?
Talk to your doctor if you're listening to binaural beats a lot and aren't sure if it's OK. They're generally low-risk, but there's some evidence they may not always work as intended.
Can binaural beats damage your brain?
No. Binaural beats won't cause brain damage. But they aren't always helpful either, and they may have negative effects in some cases. For example, one study found they might affect long-term memory, both positively and negatively. More study is needed to understand their effects on your brain and how best to use them.
What happens if you sleep with binaural beats?
There's some evidence that binaural beats before or during sleep may help you sleep better or fall asleep faster. Some researchers claim they might help you feel relaxed at certain frequencies. But there's no proven way to use them to improve sleep. Noise can have a negative effect on your sleep, so it's probably better not to leave them playing all night.
