Binaural beats for sleep
Slow delta and theta beats with a timer that fades out. Free, made live in your browser. Headphones on, volume low.
Headphones needed. The timer fades the sound out slowly so it doesn’t wake you when it stops.
An hour-long delta session with slow visuals and the Lab’s sleep timer.
Which beat for sleep
MeasuredDelta waves (0.5–4 Hz) are the slow rhythm of deep sleep on an EEG; theta (4–8 Hz) shows up as you drift off. Sleep sessions use beats in those ranges. A common pattern is theta while you settle, then delta for the long stretch. All four presets here use low tones, which most people find easier to fall asleep to.
What the research says
StudiesIn a 2018 sleep-lab study, 24 volunteers were split into two groups. On the third night one group heard a 3 Hz binaural beat and the other heard silence. The beat group spent longer in deep (N3) sleep, less time in lighter N2 sleep, and reached deep sleep sooner[1]. It’s one small study. The wider reviews, covered in the binaural beats guide, find modest, mixed effects.
Headphones in bed
Binaural beats need each ear to get its own tone, which means headphones. Soft sleep headphones or a headband are the most comfortable. Keep the volume low and set the timer so the sound stops after you’re asleep.
If headphones keep you awake, skip the beat and play brown noise or rain on a speaker instead. No beat is worth losing sleep over.
Wind-Down: a week of sleep sessions
One session a night for seven nights. Night 3 is Theta to Sleep and night 5 is Delta Drift. Night 1 is free.
Questions
Delta or theta for sleep?
Try theta (4–6 Hz) while you’re settling and delta (2–3 Hz) once you’re drowsy. There’s no proven best; pick the one that feels calmest.
How long should I listen?
Most people use 20–60 minutes with a timer. In the study above the beat played only from the start of light sleep until deep sleep began, then stopped. There’s no need to run it all night: the timer can fade it out.
Can I use speakers instead?
Not for binaural beats: on speakers the two tones mix before they reach your ears. Use the brown noise player or the Lab’s rain and wave sounds instead.
Sources
- Jirakittayakorn N, Wongsawat Y. A novel insight of effects of a 3-Hz binaural beat on sleep stages during sleep. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 12:387 (2018). doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00387