Brainwaves,
Creativity & Top Performance
Brainwaves
The brain is an electrochemical organ. Electrical activity originating in the brain forms waves with different frequencies and amplitudes. There are four categories of these brainwaves, corresponding to different levels of activity:
- Beta waves have the fastest oscillations (13 - 40 cycles per second) and lowest amplitude. Beta is typical to a strongly engaged mind, mental concentration and focus. Highly stressful situations will trigger activity high in the beta range.
- Alpha waves are slower (7 - 13 oscillations per second) and have a higher amplitude. Where beta stands for arousal, alpha is a sign of non-arousal. It is typical for a state of relaxed and effortless alertness.
- Theta waves oscillate slower yet (4 - 7 cycles per second) and are typical in light sleep and drowsiness (sleep stages 1 and 2) and in deep meditation.
- Delta waves are the slowest oscillating waves (1.5 - 4 cycles per second). These are seen only in the deepest stages of sleep (sleep stages 3 and 4).
The Alpha Frequency
When we sit on a tranquil beach watching the waves roll in, when we relax with quiet music after a hard day's work, when we daydream, and in those states between wakefulness and sleep, the dominant electrical activity in our brain will be in the alpha range. The deeper we relax, the lower the frequency becomes. At moments, or with longer-term training, the higher range of the theta frequency will become the more dominant wave in our brain.
Since alpha brainwaves are typical of a state of non-arousal, people who have more alpha frequencies more often are spending more of their time stress and anxiety free. Shifting our brain waves into the alpha frequency acts to reduce anxiety and stress.
Because stress has a detrimental effect on our immune system, being in alpha more often helps to strengthen our natural defences against diseases and infections.
Analytical reasoning processes require the level of mental focus that is typical to the beta range. Those processes cannot occur when we are in deep alpha or high in the theta range. This is likely at least part of the reason for the uncensored flow of ideas typifying those states.
What also seems to be typical for “deep alpha” ideas is a stronger connection to intuition and the bringing together of previously unconnected bits of information and knowledge.
Recent brain research has found that ‘aha’ moments of new insights and moments of creative, innovative idea forming are preceded by a burst of alpha frequency waves in the brain.
Sports scientists have also identified a burst of alpha frequencies brainwaves just before moments of high performance. There is even research that concludes that the difference between high performing athletes and average ones is the ability to produce that burst of alpha in the brain just before performing.
