We all know it can be hard to slow down sometimes, to destress and unwind, which is to say we struggle to find our way into a theta state of mind when we need to. As such, you’ll often find them in meditative, hypnotic, trance-like states (more on these below). Theta states often have this sense of effortlessness coupled with a lack of conscious control and limited awareness. You might be performing a task but you’re able to do it without much concentration, so your mind goes elsewhere. You’ll also find theta waves when you’re operating on autopilot. No surprises then that a theta state of mind is found when you’re very calm and relaxed, you might be daydreaming, about to drift off to sleep, or having just woken up. The only band lower than this is Delta, which is primarily found during deep sleep. Theta bands are on the lower end of the brain wave spectrum, at 4 – 8 Hz.

If you have more energy or you’re exerting a great deal of mental effort, you will find higher frequency waves, such as Beta (12 – 30 Hz) or Gamma (30 – 100 Hz). If you are asleep or in a drowsy, relaxed state, these waves will be slower, somewhere in the Delta (0.5 – 4 Hz) or Theta (4 – 8 Hz) bands. So a 4 Hz signal oscillates 4 times every second. These waves are measured in Hz, representing cycles per second. This is how the regions of the brain communicate and cooperate to get things done. No matter what you’re doing or thinking, there are brain waves periodically traveling across your cortex.

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