Reduction of sleep onset latency by 51% demonstrates improvement in insomnia

 

Published in Sleep, the most prestigious international journal in the field of sleep research

 

Professor Han Jeong Hwang from the Department of Electronics and Information Engineering at Korea University Sejong Campus (Vice President Young Kim), along with Professors Chang Ho Yoon and Woo Jin Lee from the Department of Neurology at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, announced that their joint research team has found that 'Dynamic Binaural Beat' technology can improve insomnia and enhance sleep efficiency.

 

(From left to right) Professor Chang Ho Yoon, Professor Woo Jin Lee from Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, Professor Han Jeong Hwang from Korea University Sejong Campus, and Researcher Hwa Ahn Lee from Chungbuk National University.

 

Binaural beats are a technology that induces brain waves artificially by delivering sounds of different frequencies to each ear, which are perceived by the brain as the difference between the two frequencies. When this frequency difference changes continuously, it is referred to as a 'Dynamic Binaural Beat.‘

 

The research team conducted a study using this 'Dynamic Binaural Beat' technology to develop a treatment method for improving insomnia symptoms continuously at home. For objective verification, methods such as a crossover design randomized trial, polysomnography, and biomarker analysis were employed.

 

The study showed that listening to Dynamic Binaural Beats before sleep reduced the time it took to fall asleep (sleep latency) by 51%. Additionally, overall sleep efficiency increased by 3.8%, and heart rate variability, a marker of sympathetic nervous system activity, decreased by about 25% in the low-frequency range. Since sympathetic nervous system activation is a major cause of insomnia, this reduction indicates that a stable state conducive to sleep was achieved, proving the effectiveness of this treatment for improving insomnia.

 

Professor Han Jeong Hwang from Korea University Sejong Campus commented, "Having confirmed the efficacy of Dynamic Binaural Beats through this study, the next challenge will be to optimize parameters such as frequency, volume, timing, and duration according to individual needs to enhance the therapeutic effect.“

 

This research was supported by LG Electronics and the Information and Communication Technology Promotion Agency (IITP) of the Ministry of Science and ICT under the ‘ICT Innovation Talent Cultivation Project (University ICT Research Center).’ The findings were published in Sleep, a world-renowned journal issued by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.