In the last article, we looked at an example of increasing the deep sleep stage with 3Hz binaural beats. As you have seen, deep sleep has the effect of restoring physical and mental fatigue. So the longer you’re in deep sleep, the less tired and more energized you are. In this article, we would like to introduce not only 'deep sleep' but also the relationship between overall 'sleep quality' and 'brainwave entrainment’.
How to Measure Sleep Quality
How can we tell if one’s sleep quality has improved? It is evaluated in three major ways. The shorter your 'sleep latency' (the time it takes you to actually fall asleep from the time you try to sleep), the less you wake up in the middle of your sleep, and the longer your 'deep sleep' lasts, the better your sleep. The quality of sleep evaluated in these ways is not just a relative feeling, but an absolute measure that can be quantified.
Of course, there are also subjective ways to measure. The subject evaluates sleep by recording his/her condition after waking up or filling out an evaluation questionnaire. This subjective method tends to be better used when assessing sleep quality, because it has the advantage of being more direct and less interfering with sleep.1
Studies on Brainwave Entrainment and Sleep Quality
The two papers below show the results of studies that actually improved sleep quality through brainwave entrainment using binaural beats.
‍Study 1: Improving Sleep Quality in Athletes
The first study2 was conducted with athletes. Athletes are just so busy with their game schedules that they can't just increase their sleep time to recover their stamina. The key was that they should feel energized and refreshed after sleeping, even if it is short, as if they slept for a long time. The study was done with 15 elite soccer players, asking them to listen to 2 to 8Hz binaural beats when sleeping to see if they actually improved their sleep quality. According to their subjective assessments during the period of study, it was found that their state/condition upon waking up, sleepiness, and work motivation significantly improved. More research is still needed to see if there is an improvement in actual performance, but the results of improved sleep quality and psychological state clearly suggest that it can have a good effect on performance.
Study 2: Enhancing Sleep in College Students
The second is a study3 with college students. According to the study, 69.7% of students with low GPA had difficulty falling asleep. In addition, 72.7% of students suffering from sleep disorders complained of a significant decrease in concentration. Poor quality sleep leads to poor academic performance, which in turn creates a vicious cycle of disrupted sleep. This study demonstrated whether college students' sleep difficulties could be solved through 3Hz binaural beats brainwave entrainment. As a result, the sleep latency and the times of waking up during sleep were significantly reduced for those had experienced brainwave entrainment. Also, 70% of them rated their sleep quality as good or excellent, and 80% rated their mood after waking up as good or very good.
Improve Your Sleep Quality with Brainwave Entrainment
It seems like there are a lot of people who don't have enough time to sleep or don't know how to fall asleep when they just can't. The solution using 'brainwave entrainment’ is a very cheap and convenient way to improve the quality of sleep. Why don't you improve the quality of your sleep and start your day healthy?