In recent years the number of people reporting the feeling of stress and anxiety has been steadily increasing in our ever-busy modern society. Many people deal with anxiety every day.
Work, family issues, health concerns, and financial obligations are parts of everyday life that commonly contribute to heightened anxiety levels.
Minimizing the chronic anxiety of daily life as much as possible is important for overall health. That’s because chronic anxiety harms health and increases your risk of health conditions such as anxiety disorder, and depression.
How can I know I have anxiety?
Here are the common bad habits used to cope with anxiety:
- Nail biting
- Skin-picking and hair pulling
- Constantly eating or snacking
- Loss of appetite and weight loss
- Developing a disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
- Developing repetitive actions such as hand washing or cleaning
- Self-punishment and harm like cutting the arms
How anxiety affects the brain
Anxiety is your mind and body’s reaction to a dangerous, stressful, or uncomfortable situation in your future.
It has four major effects on the brain:
- Increased stress hormones in the brain
- Your brain becomes hypersensitive to threats
- Can cause irrational thoughts and erratic behavior
- Tricks your brain into holding onto negative memories
Binaural beats for anxiety
Growing evidence suggests that binaural beats can significantly reduce anxiety. Karen Newell, co-author of Living in a Mindful Universe had similar findings in her own research. Study shows that patients had a 26% drop in anxiety symptoms over two weeks after listening to binaural beats recordings for 20 minutes each day.
Binaural beats are an excellent part of an anxiety relief strategy. In order to reduce stress levels and anxiety, it is recommended to look for binaural beats with a frequency between 4 and 12.5 Hz. They help a listener to get into alpha and theta brainwave states that are considered effective meditative and relaxed states proving a perfect recovery zone.
The “Anxiety Aid” track created by Brainwaves has 30 minutes of the combination of Alpha brain waves and Low Theta brain waves. The Alpha frequency can encourage deeper stages of sleep and the Mid Theta frequency can help relaxation and mood. This recording can help you cleanse your mind of the ruts that have been building up from constant worry, release stress, and help you get back to enjoying the moment.
When listening to binaural beats music, it’s best to sit in a comfortable place free of distractions. Listening to the binaural beat music for at least 30 minutes each day in your headphones ensures that the rhythm is entrained throughout the brain.
You can also experiment with the length of time you listen to the binaural beats to find out what works for you. For example, if you’re experiencing high levels of anxiety or stress, you may want to listen to the audio for a full hour or longer.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/think-act-be/201911/how-improve-anxiety-sleep-and-more-binaural-beats
https://www.bettersleep.com/blog/binaural-beats-for-anxiety/
https://nucalm.com/blog/nucalm/feeling-in-a-rut-try-a-binaural-beat-app-for-some-peace-of-mind
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/ways-to-reduce-anxiety
https://www.simplypsychology.org/generalized-anxiety-disorder.html