by Linda Gabriel
The fact that our brains are electrical is a relatively new discovery.
The first article about electrical phenomena in the brains of monkeys and rabbits was published in the British Medical Journal of 1875.
Nearly a half century would pass before the first human EEG (electroencephalogram) was recorded. That distinction would go to German psychiatrist and physiologist Hans Berger who invented the device that would begin the field of electroencephalography.
The 4 Building Blocks of Consciousness
There are 4 basic brain wave frequencies and each correlates with a specific state of consciousness. Like sound frequencies, brain waves are measured in Hz, or cycles per second. In general, the slower the frequency of your brain waves, the more relaxed you feel.
Meditation, neurofeedback, hypnosis, and guided imagery have all been shown to help people control their brain waves more efficiently for better health, higher performance, and a more positive experience of life.
Beta Waves: 13-30 Hz
Your brain is producing beta waves as you are reading this. A predominance of beta waves is associated with being alert, active, and whenever you concentrate on learning something or doing an activity that requires focus.
Beta waves are also associated with over-thinking and worry. While the beta state has gotten a bad rap in some meditation circles, you need your brain to generate beta waves in order to think and function consciously.
But when you want to relax, it’s time to shift into alpha.
Alpha Waves: 8-13 Hz
Alpha is the brain wave associated with relaxed, daydreaming states of mind; it’s a state of relaxed, detached awareness. Many people are “in alpha” while watching TV. Alpha is often called a “hypnogogic” state because you may experience spontaneous mental imagery.
If you’re like most people, when you close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths you’ll experience a light, relaxed alpha state. Alpha is considered the gateway to meditation. Some people consider alpha waves to be the link between the conscious mind and the subconscious.
You produce alpha waves when you relax to guided imagery. Your brain also produces alpha waves just before you drift off to sleep and just before you wake up. At the beginning of “stage 1 sleep” alpha waves disappear and theta waves appear.
Theta: 4-8 Hz
Theta waves are often associated with deep states of meditation, peak spiritual experiences, and higher states of consciousness. Theta waves are associated with drowsiness or arousal in adults and older children. Young children are in theta most of the time.
Some people consider the theta state to be synonymous with the subconscious mind wherein reside suppressed emotions, as well as a storehouse of creativity. Theta is associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep where dreams occur.
Delta: up to 4 Hz
Delta waves occur in adults during deep, or “slow wave” sleep. It seems this state is needed by the brain because after a period of sleep deprivation, there’s usually a rebound of slow wave sleep. Alcohol interferes with delta wave sleep. A low carbohydrate diet has been shown to increase the amount of delta activity and deep sleep in healthy individuals.
Delta states sometimes occur during continuous attention tasks.
Delta is considered by some to be the bridge to what Carl Jung described as the “collective unconscious.” Babies are in delta much of the time. For some reason adult females have been shown to have more delta wave activity. This is true not just in humans but in most mammals.
Beyond the Basic Brain Waves
Gamma: 25-100 Hz
Neurologists have also described a Gamma brainwave that’s thought to be involved with our sense of conscious awareness. Gamma waves range in frequency from 25 to 100 Hz though usually they are around 40 Hz. Studies of Tibetan Buddhist monks have shown a correlation between gamma waves and transcendental states of consciousness, but not all neuroscientists are convinced.
Mu 8-13 Hz
The Mu wave is a brain frequency which has been observed and studied since the 1930′s. Mu waves are in the range of 8-13 Hz and arise from large groups of neurons in the brain.
Recently Mu brain waves have been associated with the “mirror neuron” system that activates when we watch another person’s activity. Because mu brain waves may play a role in our ability to understand and imitate others’ behavior, enhancing mu wave activity via neurofeedback is being studied as a therapy for autism. Early results are promising.
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Can listening to these different waves using headphones cause any sort of damage or ill effects?
Hello John,
Because these frequencies are too low for the human ear to perceive, they cannot be listened to directly. You may be referring to something called binaural sound recordings that use a technology that plays two different frequencies, one in each ear. This method claims to be able to create an unheard frequency which the brain is thought to “entrain” with. To date there has been limited research, but you can learn more about this technology here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_tones
Hi Linda,
I have a 17 yr old son who has had nocturnal enuresis his whole life. I have finally learned this is a parasomnia, effecting him in deep sleep. Is there a way to help him decrease time in deep sleep so that he can move into a more wakeful sleep pattern, and can therefore respond to his bladder?
Hypnosis can be helpful, but there is new research indicating neurofeedback is an excellent treatment for your son’s problem. Neurofeedback trains the brain to regulate it’s own brainwaves using simple video games. It’s non-invasive and even fun. I suggest finding a neurofeedback practitioner who is familiar with the specific method described in this article: http://www.newswise.com/articles/neurofeedback-offers-effective-treatment-for-bedwetting
Thanks for your question and good luck to you and your son.
Hi Linda. I am researching theta brainwaves in children and am trying to understand the age delineation from when young children are mostly in theta to when children experience theta mostly in slumber. Thoughts?
Hi Melody,
I doubt there’s a definite boundary line and that this varies widely among individuals. There’s a lot of recent research. You might start here: http://www.clinph-journal.com/article/S1388-2457(06)00009-5/abstract
Hi Linda
Can you test sounds to find out what beta waves they produce?
Hi Melissa. I personally don’t have the ability, but there has been research showing that “binaural” sounds can help the brain entrain to different frequencies. Because of the low hertz of brain waves, the human ear cannot hear those frequencies, but if you play one frequency in one ear, say 440 Hz, and a slightly different frequency in the other, such as 447 Hz, the brain tries to resolve the difference by generating a third frequency of 7 Hz. This frequency is not heard but the brain can entrain to it. At least theoretically. Neurofeedback is another technique but it doesn’t involve sound. Thanks for your question!
I am curious about a phenomenon I have noticed when half asleep. There is a noise I hear a lot while in bed, made by my air conditioner thermostat. It’s a noise that normally is a click. However, sometimes when waking I perceive that noise as a ping. I am wondering if there is a correlation between slowed brain wave and perceived sound frequency.
Good question Dalton. I’ve experienced some interesting audio effects when I’m about to fall asleep. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a correlation with brain wave activity though I doubt anyone will fund a study! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment.
Hi Linda!
I just had an exam on this for my Psych class! I think your website is going to become even MORE useful to me now as I dig deeper into my psychology studies. We’ll have to keep in touch!
Courtney
Hi Courtney,
Yes, by all means! Thanks for stopping by.
I would really enjoy seeing a follow up article offering some suggestions of how I can apply this knowledge.
Very interesting article! I had recently read about Theta waves and am glad to get a general explanation of the other forms of brain waves.
Hi Debbie,
Yes, it is interesting that children are in theta most of the time. And the newest research on the gamma and mu waves is indeed fascinating.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for a very educational post. IO thought I knew a lot about brain waves, but I definitely learned something.
I did not know children spend most of the time in theta. How interesting…and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to get back to that kind of mind.
I also did not know about the gamma and mu waves. Fascinating developments.
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