The effects of auditory brainwave entrainment on the psychophysical health of healthcare programs students
A recent pilot study published in the Revista Mexicana de Neurociencia investigated the effects of auditory Brainwave Entrainment (aBWE) on the emotional and physical well-being of college students enrolled in healthcare programs. Over a 12-week period, 29 participants (mean age 39.41) engaged in daily 20-minute aBWE sessions using the BrainTap app, which incorporates Binaural Beats and Isochronic Tones designed to entrain brainwave frequencies associated with relaxation and deep sleep.
Evaluations conducted at the outset, midpoint, and conclusion of the study revealed significant improvements in several areas:
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Sleep Quality: Reductions were observed in Subjective Sleep Quality (p = 0.0039), Sleep Latency (p = 0.0454), and Global Score (p = 0.0175) as measured by the Pittsburgh Quality of Sleep Index (PQSI).
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Stress Levels: The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) indicated significant reductions in stress after 6 weeks (p = 0.0402) and 12 weeks (p = 0.0006).
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Anxiety: The Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7) scale revealed a significant reduction in anxiety by the final evaluation (p < 0.0001).
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Mood States: The Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire showed significant decreases in Tension at both midpoint (p = 0.0259) and final evaluations (p = 0.0001), along with reductions in Total Mood Disturbance (midpoint p = 0.0485, final p < 0.0001). Additional improvements were noted in Depression (p = 0.0314), Anger (p = 0.0454), Vigor (p = 0.0297), Fatigue (p = 0.0002), and Confusion (p = 0.0019) by the final evaluation.
No adverse effects were reported, indicating the safety of aBWE as an intervention. These findings suggest that incorporating BrainTap’s aBWE sessions can enhance sleep quality, reduce stress and anxiety, and improve overall mood states among healthcare students.
