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BRAINWAVE FREQUENCIES
Activity in the brain is often measured by observing and recording
“brainwaves” which are rhythmic or repetitive neural activity. Brainwaves
can be observed through an Electroencephalography (EEG) which is a test
that measures electrical brainwave activity along the scalp. Brainwaves are
categorized by frequency with each category having different positive and
negative effects, depending on your current and desired level of arousal or
alertness.
Brainwaves indicate both the level and type of arousal in a part of the brain.
When a person is awake and engaging in a task, delta, theta and alpha
activity should be low, revealing beta as the dominant wave. As a person
relaxes, alpha quickly increases. As a person becomes deeply relaxed and
especially with eyes closed, theta will become the dominant brainwave and
as a person falls asleep, delta becomes the dominant brainwave with
occasional short bursts of sensori-motor rhythm (SMR) in the sensori-motor
strip to prevent sleep-walking.
Brainwaves are situation specific. Therefore, any brainwave can be either a
benefit or detriment to the activity a person is trying to engage in. Stress,
hectic lifestyle, and less than optimal diet suppresses relaxing brainwaves.
And likewise, when we are tired during the day, the brainwaves which are
essential for mental performance are suppressed. It’s easy to see that if a
person’s brain is making the wrong frequency for a given situation, the
result will be detrimental to his/her ability to succeed at the task at hand.
The brain needs to flex with the various activities that one is engaging in.
The following chart demonstrates the positive as well as the negative
attributes of each brainwave frequency category.
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