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Binaural Beats for Relaxation
How the relax, calm, and meditate presets are set up, and how people use them to unwind.
The relaxation presets
Each relaxation preset holds 200 Hz in one ear and a slightly higher tone in the other, setting a gentle perceived beat. Relax plays 200 and 210 Hz for a 10 Hz beat over 15 minutes, and Calm is almost the same at 200 and 210.5 Hz for a 10.5 Hz beat; both sit in the range conventionally called alpha (about 8 to 13 Hz), often linked with relaxed wakefulness. Meditate is slower at 200 and 206 Hz, a 6 Hz beat over 20 minutes, in the theta range.
Using them to unwind
These presets suit a calm break, a stretch, or a few minutes of slow breathing. Headphones are required, and a moderate to low volume works best so the tone stays in the background. Many people pair a relaxation preset with slow breathing. You can run our Breathing Timer in another tab and let the steady beat sit underneath your breath.
What the research says
Set expectations honestly. A 2023 systematic review in PLOS ONE examined fourteen studies of binaural beats and brain activity and found the results inconsistent: five in line with the idea that the brain follows the beat, eight against, and one mixed. The review calls for better-standardised studies before any firm conclusion. The presets are named after brainwave ranges, but listening at a beat frequency is not known to move your brain into that range. Many people simply find a soft, steady tone helps them relax. Think of it as a calming aid to try, nothing more.
Try the relaxation presets
Open one of these in the tool with your headphones on:
Sources
Ready to unwind?
Open the Relax preset, put on your headphones, and take a few slow breaths.
Open the Relax preset