
Binaural and isochronic tones for sleeping have become a hot trend in the mental health world over the past few years. If you haven’t heard of them, that’s ok. They are frequencies that play in your ears to alter your brain waves and produce a certain result (concentration, relaxation, pain relief).
Before you get skeptical, I know it sounds a little hippy-dippy. I LIKE alternative health methods, and though I take my ADHD medication, I really prefer to be medicated as little as possible. If there is something I can do in order to avoid dealing with another pill, I’m there. Remember: For every person who prefers to take pills for their problems, there is a pill. For everyone who prefers to use alternative methods, there are the trenches.
This is definitely an alternative health method
What are the trenches, you ask? It’s that place between Pinterest and Physician, where you might try to make your own cough syrup but you balk at the idea that taking herb blends can substitute for chemotherapy. It’s being willing to believe lavender can help you relax, but not substituting St. John’s wort for an antidepressant. Life is all about keeping your balance, right? In order to keep your balance in the world of alternative methods, sometimes you just have to become a guinea pig. That’s what led me to these binaural and isochronic tones for sleeping.
Do Isochronic Tones Really Work?
This is one of those areas that are still not quite conclusive. Certainly, the National Institute Of Health thought enough about the effects of binaural and isochronic beats to conduct a study to see if they were effective. There is no right or wrong answer here, you’re welcome to try them for yourself. It is either free or inexpensive to do so. If they don’t help you, they certainly won’t hurt you.
I started using isochronic tones with my headphones while I try to work because they seemed to help my focus. Managing your ADHD requires a bit of creativity that you may not have been prepared for when you were first diagnosed. I certainly never planned to be listening to anything like this.
Why I Decided To Try Isochronic Tones For Sleep
It’s no secret that I have trouble sleeping. I live in a very busy brain on top of leading an incredibly busy life. You do too. We live in a nation in current political turmoil, and I like to argue! Who needs sleep when I could be winning that last minute political debate with the complete stranger who didn’t back my candidate? Even if I do try to sleep, instead I lay awake brooding and snorting about the clever things I should have said (none of which ever occur to me during the argument. Recently, however, all this has led to a bad bout of anxiety and now I can’t rest.
As if not sleeping isn’t bad enough, I have difficulty hearing alarms. If I get to sleep in a timely fashion I have a better chance of waking up at a decent hour. When I have trouble resting I use binaural and isochronic beats for sleeping. I’ll show you how.
Why YOU Should Try Binaural and Isochronic Tones For Sleeping
For starters, it is fun. So many of the solutions we get for our mental health are not fun at all. ADHD symptoms can send you chasing too many pills to manage the comorbidities. With this one, you get to pretend you’re on a beach or by a campfire and relax. When is the last time you got to use your imagination?
ADHD makes it very difficult to get sleep on a regular basis. Lack of sleep can lead to a lack of focus and concentration, higher levels of anxiety, or even depression.
Five Steps to trying Binaural and Isochronic Tones for sleeping
Have you decided that you’re ready to join in the fun? It is about time. Remember, no sound in your ear is going to replace a solid sleep routine, so make sure you plan to get your shut-eye. If you keep it in perspective, using binaural and isochronic tones for sleeping can really help you, if only by giving you something additional to soothe you at bedtime.
- Headphones – isochronic tones don’t require headphones, but binaural tones do. Get a pair.
- Download an App – if you’re one of the millions of people who use their smartphone as an alarm, you can also download an app that will help you find the right beat. I use Relax Melodies. You can also select from a TON of websites and YouTube channels.
- Choose your beats – many of your apps will have options like “deep sleep” or “dreamless sleep” or “lucid sleep” – my suggestion? Choose whatever sounds best. If the noise is irritating, you certainly won’t be relaxed.
- Follow your ordinary sleep routine– take a warm shower, use some essential oils, whatever allows you to wind down.
- Give it more than one night– like anything new, this will take some getting used to. Give it a chance.
Follow these steps and you will be off to la la land in no time. Have you ever tried the beats to help you get some rest? If so, where they helpful to you? What is your favorite sound? Mine definitely is a crackling fire.
Meanwhile, I am up past my bedtime but the alarm is letting me know it is time to get off of here and get with it. Goodnight!
Until next time,
René
P. S. Are you new to the world of ADHD and feeling a little scared? I was there not that long ago, and I completely understand. An ADHD diagnosis, especially one later in life, can absolutely be confusing. . . that’s why I wrote my Ultimate Guide To ADHD. There are great tips, resources, and strategies to help you get back to a semi-normal life.
I was diagnosed with ADHD for the THIRD time at 25, and since then life has never been the same. To hear my story, read How An ADHD Diagnosis Transformed Me .
[…] at night, I have trouble falling asleep again. On a somewhat related note, my friend Rene Brooks of Black Girl, Lost Keys recently wrote about binaural and isochronic tones for sleeping. These concepts are completely new […]