What the studies say, and what they don't
MentalWave quotes these studies in the app. Here they are in full, with a link to each paper, so you can judge for yourself.
Controlled studies and a 2019 meta-analysis link binaural beats and steady sound to lower anxiety, better attention and easier sleep.
Many studies are small, results vary between people, and none show that a sound cures anything. So we write “may help”.
A wellness app for relaxation, sleep and focus. Not a medical device, and not a replacement for care.
Sound and sleep
A 3 Hz binaural beat played during sleep lengthened deep (N3) sleep in a small lab study.
Jirakittayakorn N, Wongsawat Y. A novel insight of effects of a 3-Hz binaural beat on sleep stages during sleep. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018;12:387.
Broadband noise helped people fall asleep faster in a noisy bedroom.
Messineo L, Taranto-Montemurro L, Sands SA, et al. Broadband sound administration improves sleep onset latency in healthy subjects in a model of transient insomnia. Front Neurol. 2017;8:718.
Pink noise pulses deepened slow-wave sleep and went with better overnight memory in older adults.
Papalambros NA, Santostasi G, Malkani RG, et al. Acoustic enhancement of sleep slow oscillations and concomitant memory improvement in older adults. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017;11:109.
Binaural beats and anxiety
Across studies, binaural beats were linked to lower measured anxiety and pain perception, and to an effect on attention.
Garcia-Argibay M, Santed MA, Reales JM. Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychol Res. 2019;83(2):357-372.
Patients who listened to binaural beats before surgery felt less anxious than those who did not.
Padmanabhan R, Hildreth AJ, Laws D. A prospective, randomised, controlled study examining binaural beat audio and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for day case surgery. Anaesthesia. 2005;60(9):874-877.
In a small pilot study, theta beats were followed by lower anxiety.
Wahbeh H, Calabrese C, Zwickey H. Binaural beat technology in humans: a pilot study to assess psychologic and physiologic effects. J Altern Complement Med. 2007;13(1):25-32.
Beats and attention
40 Hz gamma beats helped people catch what usually slips past their attention.
Reedijk SA, Bolders A, Colzato LS, Hommel B. Eliminating the attentional blink through binaural beats: a case for tailored cognitive enhancement. Front Psychiatry. 2015;6:82.
Beta beats went with better sustained vigilance and mood than theta beats.
Lane JD, Kasian SJ, Owens JE, Marsh GR. Binaural auditory beats affect vigilance performance and mood. Physiol Behav. 1998;63(2):249-252.
Sound therapy for tinnitus
Sound therapy is a standard part of tinnitus care, though the evidence for masking alone is still limited.
Hobson J, Chisholm E, El Refaie A. Sound therapy (masking) in the management of tinnitus in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;11:CD006371.
Quiet makes tinnitus stand out; background sound, from noise to nature beds, can make it less noticeable.
American Tinnitus Association and Tinnitus UK: guidance on sound therapy and sound enrichment.
Why sleep and stress matter
A short night raises cortisol, a stress hormone, the following evening.
Leproult R, Copinschi G, Buxton O, Van Cauter E. Sleep loss results in an elevation of cortisol levels the next evening. Sleep. 1997;20(10):865-870.
Short-term sleep loss dulls attention and working memory.
Lim J, Dinges DF. A meta-analysis of the impact of short-term sleep deprivation on cognitive variables. Psychol Bull. 2010;136(3):375-389.
Stress and lack of sleep are among the most reported migraine triggers.
American Migraine Foundation: top migraine triggers.
Spotted a study we should add, or a summary that goes too far? Write to contact@yellowcatlabs.com (contact@yellowcatlabs.com).