Excellent Ways To Increase Productivity At Workplace By Listening To Binaural Beats

With anxiety and sedentary lifetyle increasing in recent years, it is important to use techniques to reduce exhaustion and stress. When you are less distracted, you will be able to focus more on your work.

If you have come across relaxing music that would ease your mind, you might have come across sound wave therapy called Binaural Beats.

Let us explore how these sounds are created, what they are, and what science says about them.

What are Binaural Beats?

Binaural beats are an auditory illusion created by the brain listening to two tones of different frequencies, one in each ear. When the two tones align, they produce a beat with a different frequency. The frequencies of the two tones have a difference in hertz(Hz).

For example, if you listen to 440Hz with your left ear and a 444 Hz tone in the right ear, you will hear a 4 Hz tone.

Read our blog on: The 12 Good Things about Reading That Offer Employee Well-being At Work

The Superior Olivary Complex And Binaural Beats

The superior olivary complex is the first part of the brain that helps process the sound from both ears.

The superior olivary complex adjusts various activities of the neurons in the brain. When there is the synchronization of the activities in the brain, it is called entrainment.

According to research, listening to binaural beats-

• Increases concentration
• Fosters positive moods
• Helps in controlling emotions and feelings
• Promotes deeper meditation

Image courtesy: Canva.Pexel

Types of Brain Waves That Affect Binaural Beats

Brain waves range from high frequency to low, and they create binaural beats. Let us take a look at the five different categories of different frequencies of brain waves.

1. Delta

Delta is the lowest frequency; they operate at 0.5 -4 Hz, and they are measured using an electroencephalogram(EEG). These waves emerge from the thalamus and are associated with slow-wave sleep (Third stage of sleep).

People who received the frequency range from 0.5 -4Hz are linked to.

• Deep Sleep
• Pain and Relief
• Meditation
• Access to the unconscious mind.

2. Theta

Theta waves occur when you are sleeping, and they usually happen when you are in the deepest phases of sleep. When awake, these brain waves might occur but in a very deeply relaxed state of mind known as Auto Pilot.

Theta waves are essential for making memories and developing information. People who are in the Theta state of mind (4-8Hz)is linked to

• Improved meditation
• Creativity
• Rapid Eye movement
• Relaxation

3. Alpha

Alpha waves indicate that you are in a state of wakeful rest. For example: When warming up your muscles, the brain is producing Alpha Waves. You wouldn't need to ask your brain to process too much information while doing this activity.

According to a study, during meditation the brain produces more alpha waves.
The alpha binaural beats operate from 8-15 Hz. Alpha brain Waves help your brain to be productive and focussed. Here are some of the benefits:

• Reduced stress
• Relaxation and Focus
• Increased positive thinking

4. Beta

Any activity requires a lot of attention, and the brain produces Beta waves, even if it's doing homework or hobbies. Beta patterns are a frequency of 13-30Hz. It is a higher frequency brainwave. The help in

• Increased concentration
• High-level cognition
• Analytical thinking
• Great energy and action

5. Gamma

Gamma waves are the fastest brain waves. When your brain is actively focused or engaged in solving a problem, the brain is producing gamma waves.

The Gamma pattern is at a frequency range of 30-50Hz. People who receive frequencies at this range have a

• Different way of thinking
• Good memory
• Increased cognitive enhancement

Also Read: Mindfulness Meditation: Why To Practice At Work?

Benefits of Binaural Beats

The purpose of using binaural beat therapy may differ among individuals. Some people may need help in decreasing their anxiety, while others might want to increase their concentration or deepen their level of meditation.

The benefits of binaural beats are:

• Reduces anxiety and depression

• Increased focus and concentration

• Good memory retention

• More confidence

• Increases creativity and cognitive enhancement

• Improved sleeping pattern

How Do Binaural Beats Boost Productivity At The Workplace?

Long working hours have a significant impact on mental health. And at the end of the day, employees experience burnout. Depression may occur in employees who are exposed to stress leading to poor quality of life.

There are days when their mood might be irritated or feel grumpy due to the hustle and bustle of the job. Listening to relaxing music, sound therapy, i.e., binaural beats, would lessen anxiety and stress at the workplace.

According to a study, binaural beats improve the overall performance and mood of a person. Here are some of the ways how binaural beats boost productivity at the workplace.

1. Reduced anxiety

There are many binaural beats apps, and employees can use any one of them. Some of the popular ones are

• Atmosphere
• Brain Waves
• Binaural Beats Therapy
• myNoise
• Binaural Beats Generator

Go to the Binaural Beat App and set your binaural beats to a 30 minute "Productive work." Use those 30 minutes to work. The beat will tell you when to stop for a short break.

If the employees are experiencing high levels of anxiety and stress, they can increase the audio for an hour.

Image courtesy: Canva.Pexel

2. Increased focus and vigilance

When there is too much work, it is easy to get distracted and focus on one task. Employees may not feel motivated and enthusiastic about work.

Binaural beats in the Gamma frequency ( Higher frequency beats ) proves to help with increased cognitive flexibility, attention to detail, and divergent thinking.

Image courtesy: Canva.Pexel

3. Enhanced power and emotional arousal.

Hectic working hours might change the mood of an employee. For example, they might have work deadlines or immediate work submissions. Due to such pressure, it may result in emotional imbalance and cause frustration.

In between works, employees can listen to binaural sound therapy waves that will boost their brainpower and enable them to control their emotions.

In a small study, people who listened to 30 mins of beta(16 and 24Hz) binaural beats improved their mood and cognitive functions.

Image courtesy: Canva.Pexel

Also Read: Japa Meditation - An Awakening of your Transcendental Energy

Tips To Use Binaural Beats At The Workplace

If you want to listen to binaural beats, here are some of the tips to use them.

Put on your earphones

Binaural beats won't be great if you listen through a speaker. When the sound enters through the ears, it creates a frequency combined into one sound producing a monaural tone.

Hence, the Binaural requires headphones so that the frequencies are separated into each ear.

Set playlists

There are excellent playlists for binaural beats. They are readily available on Spotify and Hour Plus Videos on YouTube.

Install an app

You can download binaural beat apps. They have a wide range of music, and you can choose different tracks for different situations.

Experiment with different frequencies

When you experiment with slightly different frequencies, they will produce different results. Put on your earphones and start playing the binaural beats of different frequencies and see what happens.

Next time, when you play the Binaural beats, you will know better which frequencies will scale up your productivity.

Follow the instructions carefully

People should follow instructions carefully. Sometimes you may not benefit from one particular binaural beat. Hence, it is crucial to try out different rhythms and sounds that will help in reducing anxiety and increasing concentration.

Do not use binaural beats while driving as it requires full attention and alertness.

Final words:

Binaural beats help you find peace, increase concentration, reduce anxiety, and make your mind flow in the right direction. They are auditory beats created by the brain when you hear two different sound frequencies in one and on the other.

Anyone can listen to binaural beats, and they are readily available on the internet. To get the maximum benefits, listening through headphones is highly recommended.

So have you ever tried a piece of binaural music yet? If you have, share your experiences in the comments!