Alpha waves (about 8–13 Hz) are the brain’s relaxed-but-awake rhythm. They are strongest when you close your eyes and settle. 10 Hz, the center of the alpha band, is what Neuro Gardens plays for Calm.
Binaural beats and calm: the clinical trials
Several randomized controlled trials have tested binaural-beat audio for anxiety before medical procedures. Before day surgery, anxiety dropped 26.3% with binaural-beat audio versus 11.1% with the same soundtrack without beats 1. Similar results came from trials before cystoscopy 2, unsedated endoscopy 3 and eye surgery, where heart rate and blood pressure also fell 4.
These trials used different beat frequencies and soundtracks, not always exactly 10 Hz. A 22-study meta-analysis found a medium overall effect across anxiety, pain, memory and attention 5.
10 Hz and steady attention
10 Hz beats increase alpha-band synchrony between the brain’s two hearing regions 6. In a placebo-controlled trial, eight minutes of 10 Hz beats sped up responses and steadied reaction times on a visuospatial task, though the authors call the effects slight 7.
Many people search for binaural beats for ADHD. One small pilot found that 8 of 11 children with ADHD improved on attention measures after 20 days of 10 Hz audio-visual entrainment, but there was no control group 8. Neuro Gardens is not a treatment for ADHD or any anxiety disorder. Talk to a clinician about diagnosis and care.
How to use 10 Hz
For calm, listen for 15–30 minutes somewhere you can sit back, such as before a stressful appointment, a flight or bed. For steady focus, keep 10 Hz low under reading or light admin work.
How to listen
- Use headphones for binaural beats. Each ear needs its own tone. Isochronic tones work on speakers.
- Start before the task. A meta-analysis found that listening before (or before and during) a task worked better than listening only during it, and that longer sessions helped.
- Keep the volume low. The beat works at a comfortable, quiet level. Louder is not better.
- One goal at a time. Studies tested one beat frequency at a time. You can layer sounds in Neuro Gardens, but there is no evidence that stacked frequencies add up.
About the evidence
Binaural-beat research is promising but uneven. Studies are often small and use different settings, and a 2023 systematic review found that only 5 of 14 EEG studies showed the brain following the beat frequency (Ingendoh 2023). We rate each frequency honestly, link every study to PubMed, and update these pages as new research is published.
Frequently asked questions
Do binaural beats help with anxiety?
Randomized trials before surgery and medical procedures found larger drops in anxiety scores with binaural-beat audio than with music alone or silence. They are a wellness tool, not a substitute for care for an anxiety disorder.
Are binaural beats good for ADHD?
Research is very early. A small pilot without a control group reported improvement in 8 of 11 children. Binaural beats are not an ADHD treatment.
What are alpha waves good for?
Alpha waves are linked to relaxed wakefulness. Alpha-range binaural beats are the most studied option for calm and stress.
Studies cited
All studies link to PubMed, run by the National Library of Medicine at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Padmanabhan R, Hildreth AJ, Laws D · Anaesthesia · PMID 16115248
Before day surgery, anxiety scores fell 26.3% with binaural-beat audio, 11.1% with the same soundtrack without beats, and 3.8% with no audio.
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Ölçüçü MT, Yılmaz K, Karamık K, et al. · Journal of Endourology · PMID 33107329
In men having cystoscopy or stent removal under local anesthesia, binaural beats lowered anxiety more than wearing silent headphones and gave lower pain scores than classical music or silence.
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Demirci S, Sezer S · Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine · PMID 39088370
Fifteen minutes of binaural-beat music before an unsedated endoscopy lowered anxiety and raised tolerance and satisfaction. Heart rate and blood pressure did not differ.
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Ratanalerdnawee P, Maiprasert M, Klaphajone J, Khunngam P, Norchai P · Nursing Reports · PMID 40863669
Classical music with binaural beats lowered anxiety, systolic blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate more than plain music or silence. No adverse events were reported.
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Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis
Garcia-Argibay M, Santed MA, Reales JM · Psychological Research · PMID 30073406
Across 22 studies, binaural beats had a medium overall effect (g = 0.45) on memory, attention, anxiety and pain. Listening before a task worked better than listening only during it, longer exposure helped, and masking noise was not required.
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Binaural beats increase interhemispheric alpha-band coherence between auditory cortices
Solcà M, Mottaz A, Guggisberg AG · Hearing Research · PMID 26541421
10 Hz and 4 Hz beats increased alpha-band synchrony between the two auditory cortices compared with monaural beats. The authors attribute this to binaural integration rather than entrainment.
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Rakhshan V, Hassani-Abharian P, Joghataei M, Nasehi M, Khosrowabadi R · BioMed Research International · PMID 35655482
Eight minutes of 10 Hz beats sped up responses and steadied reaction times on a visuospatial memory task, but lowered hit rates on the verbal version. The authors describe the effects as "few" and "slight".
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Mandapati M, Ranjan P · Applied Neuropsychology: Child · PMID 39847472
Eight of 11 children improved on attention and spatial-learning measures after 20 days of 10 Hz beats combined with 10 Hz light in VR. There was no control group.
Try 10 Hz in Neuro Gardens
Pick Calm on the outcome wheel, choose music from ambient, jazz, lo-fi, classical or nature, and press play. Audio keeps going with your screen locked.
Get notified at launchNeuro Gardens is a general wellness app, not a medical device, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Studies cited here are research on binaural beats in general, not tests of Neuro Gardens. Never listen to low frequencies while driving.