Let’s dive into a scenario that hits (too) close to home for so many of us today.

Sarah is a mid-30s professional juggling a demanding job, a social life, and all the “extras” in between. Sarah feels her anxiety as a constant, annoying low buzz. It’s like background music she can’t turn off.

Mornings start with a sense of dread about the day, her heart races during her commute, and by mid-morning, she’s dealing with a nagging headache and a heavy feeling in her chest. Sleep? Rarely restful, thanks to an endless mental checklist that keeps her tossing and turning.

Talking about audio waves helping her calm down might feel skeptical, but also intriguing. Is there a specific sound frequency that can calm that endless mental chatter?

Sound therapy with a twist

Here’s what the science says.

A team from Transylvania University wanted to see if binaural beats can lower anxiety and depression noninvasively and cheaply.

Scientists reviewed 12 clinical trials, putting people into binaural beat sessions and others into regular music or silence. A total of 1,349 participants underwent these trials including both men and women who experienced high baseline anxiety levels due to medical contexts (e.g., surgery, Parkinson’s disease).

They measured actual anxiety and depression levels using serious metrics (e.g. STAI and VAS scores) and also checked real physical changes like heart rate and blood pressure.

What did they find?

• Anxiety: On average, binaural beat listeners experienced 26.3% lower anxiety than those without the beats, meaning one-fourth were more likely to have a calming feeling.

• Heart rate and blood pressure: These measures dropped significantly having measurable, real-time relaxation in the body.

• Depression: Although not many studies reported on this issue, those who did — after four weeks of listening — had a significant uptick in mood and depressive symptoms improved.

This doesn’t mean people should throw away the Prozac, but if something as simple as audio can get these results, it might just become the next sidekick in anxiety and depression management.

Another meta-analysis at the National University of Distance Education in Spain dived into the benefits of binaural beats in three areas: making us sharper, chilling us out, and helping with pain.

Are binaural beats worth the hype?

They reviewed 68 studies but narrowed it down to 22 that fit strict criteria and checked whether these beats worked across areas like memory, attention, anxiety, and pain relief. They also looked into the type of beat (different frequencies for different vibes), how long people listened, and whether the beats were layered with white noise or music.

Here’s what they found:

• Gamma and beta frequencies (12 to 50 Hz): When the binaural beats were tuned to these frequencies, it made people about 45% better at remembering things and focusing than those who didn’t listen to beats.

• Calming nerves: Theta and delta beats (0.5 to 8 Hz) helped the most. People who listened to these beats saw an anxiety reduction of up to 26%. They felt more chill, especially if they tuned in before a big, stress-inducing event.

• Easing pain: when people used a mix of beats before surgery, they actually needed up to 60% less anesthesia than those who didn’t. That’s a big win for anyone looking for non-medication pain relief options.

These binaural beats can make a real difference, especially if you use them for a solid amount of time and right before you need them.

So how do you use it?

Tips on using binaural beats

These studies had people listening to binaural beats in the following way.

• Anxiety: Most of them were doing 20–30 minutes daily for a few weeks. They’re reporting feeling noticeably calmer, like your brain just had a mini-vacation. There were significant drops in anxiety metrics by the end of week two.

• Focus Mode: For the attention and memory crowd, they kept it short with just 10–20 minutes right before they needed to focus. Imagine the productivity gain of just sitting there with your headphones on.

• Sleep Hack: People listened to these beats 30 minutes before bed and showed that they were falling asleep faster and got better rest.

Put them in your daily routine, and you’ll feel like getting your brain its own personal trainer.

Try these simple sound waves to calm your mind

For people like Sarah, who experience anxiety as a constant companion, binaural beats might offer a new and accessible way to find calm.

Research shows that these beats could help ease stress, improve focus, and even support better sleep. Binaural beats have the potential as an easy-to-use addition to traditional treatments, giving people a simple, non-invasive tool to support their mental well-being.

It’s still a new field, though, but with more research we might find the exact frequencies for each issue and even our personalities might tweak how well these beats work.

For now, here’s a list of binaural beats you could use next time you feel anxious. Remember to use them with your headphones on!

• Gamma waves (30–50 Hz)

• Beta waves (12–30 Hz)

• Theta waves (4–8 Hz)

• Delta waves (0.5–4 Hz)