little confused about brain waves

**acillis** · 02-08-2011 08:41 PM

is your brain in theta waves when your in a dream state?
im just a little curious about these waves.... do they only exist within animal/human brains?
or do they exist else where, like radio waves? i had a thought... if that was the case, could they be recorded by some sorta video camera? i know eggs can record the brain in a sense... but yeah im just very curious if these waves float around and stuff, ty for reading and sharing in my thoughts

**SystemsLock** · 02-12-2011 09:24 AM

Yeah, your brain is in Theta during REM sleep.

Yes, all animals with a brain have brain waves. I'm pretty sure they're the same for all mammals (can't cite anything on that).

No, they are not radio waves. I'll try to explain best I can. The neurons in your brain like to fire together and rest together. The activity of these neurons cycle from peak activity to minimum activity. 1Hz means one cycle in one second. If your brain was at 6Hz (theta sleep) then it has hit its peak activity and its minimum activity 6 times in a second. As a rule of thumb, the faster the cycling the more "awake" you are.

Brain waves can be monitored with EEG equipment. No idea what you're talking about with eggs.

Finally, a word of warning. If you're investigating binaural beats, which supposedly "alter" your brain state, I'd be very cautious. Their is slim evidence that they work at all, especially outside of a laboratory setting. Many companies have sort of "run away" with the idea, and splice binaural beats with music to sell them at absurd prices. In reality, the beats themselves are dead easy to create and the added sound effects actually degrade their effectiveness (that is if you believe they work at all). Please don't contribute to this scam.

**nina** · 02-13-2011 12:45 AM

Originally Posted by SystemsLock

Yeah, your brain is in Theta during REM sleep.

Actually REM sleep is characterized by a unique desynchronous combination of alpha and beta waves, not theta. The dreaming EEG most closely resembles the waking state.

**SystemsLock** · 02-14-2011 03:22 AM

> 40 Hz Gamma waves Higher mental activity, including perception, problem solving, fear, and consciousness
13–39 Hz Beta waves Active, busy or anxious thinking and active concentration, arousal, cognition, and or paranoia
7–13 Hz Alpha waves Relaxation (while awake), pre-sleep and pre-wake drowsiness
4–7 Hz Theta waves Dreams, deep meditation/relaxation, REM sleep
< 4 Hz Delta waves Deep dreamless sleep, loss of body awareness