What is the point of neurodivergent music?
Like mentioned before, panning music stimulates the entire neurodivergent brain. This allows for our mind and body to be more on the same page. A regular practice of listening to panning music throughout the day may help satisfy that sensory deficit your brain needs for functioning.
This type of audio creates the sensation that sounds are moving around you in space. While 8D audio can be stimulating to anyone, TikTokers are claiming that neurodivergent folks may experience it differently than people with neurotypical brains.
8D audio, or binaural audio, can create an immersive experience that can improve mood and reduce anxiety. This is because 8D audio stimulates the brain in a more natural way than traditional audio. For people with ADHD and neurodivergent people, this immersive experience can be calming and help to focus the mind.
People whose brain works differently often experience sounds, including music, in unique ways. As a neurodivergent person, I experience sound differently than other people. I was born with hyperacusis. Sounds that are at a normal volume to most people sometimes seem extremely loud and distorted to me.
8D music is essentially a subcategory of music that 'tricks' your brain into thinking you're in a bigger space. Artists and producers manipulate the stereo sections of a track, making you feel like the sounds are coming from different directions. Some say it gives you the impression of listening to live music.
What does 8D audio do for ADHD? Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) makes it difficult to concentrate. People with ADHD have said 8D audio helps them focus, especially if they're working on tasks for a longer amount of time.
Some neurodivergent people might prefer more direct communication. Others might prefer communicating through art or story. Many prefer social opportunities where they aren't pressured to make eye contact or sit still, or where they can easily take breaks and then join back in conversation.
This noise induces SR in the neurotransmitter systems and makes this noise beneficial for cognitive performance. In particular, the peak of the SR curve depends on the dopamine level, so that participants with low dopamine levels (ADHD) require more noise for optimal cognitive performance compared to controls.
ADHD Weekly, March 20, 2020
Often someone who has ADHD can think better and stay on task longer if there is some white noise in her surroundings—maybe softly playing music, a fan in the corner, or the hum from an overhead air vent.
But many people with ADHD have reported increased concentration and focus when listening to binaural beats. They may be worth trying if you're interested. You can find free recordings of binaural beats, like the one below, online.
Why are neurodivergent people so creative?
Part of what makes someone creative is their ability to solve problems. Neurodiverse individuals are often better at this because they are wired to think differently. Visual thinking is an important component in problem solving and is thought to speed up the process. It's also associated with creativity.
During uncertain times, this guided practice will help relieve stress and anxiety. It includes binaural beats that have been shown to assist in overcoming these, as well as increase states of relaxation and have significant overall health benefits.

Many people with ADHD gravitate to instrumental music because it generally has a very structured rhythm that helps people focus. 3 In addition, instrumental music is more common because it doesn't have words that can be distracting.
Listening to EDM gives ADHD patients energy, at the same time allowing them to shut out everything else and concentrating fully on the music. Moving with the beats and positively connecting to others who enjoy the same music can be a great source of healing.
Individuals with ADHD are easily distracted by external noise; research shows that repetitive music and sounds have been found to block other random noises and lead to better attention on tasks. Background music also increases focus by decreasing mind-wandering.
ADHD makes it difficult to focus and autism can cause sensory overwhelm. But people are reporting that 8-dimensional (8D) audio helps with both. This type of audio isn't just for neurodivergent listeners. Anyone can experience relaxation, stress relief, and a mood boost from 8D audio.
Increases alertness and elevates brain energy without “crushing”, improve concentration and memory, and acts as a brain detox to slow down cognitive decline.
People who have listened to 8D music say that it makes them feel like they are in a live show or concert or that the music feels like it's coming from outside their headphones and moving through their ears. 8D music is best played with earphones or headphones as the effect is lost when played aloud.
White Noise
The options include the old standbys (Ocean, Streams, and Rain Storms) and some unusual sounds, like Tibetan Singing Bowl and Cat Purring. People with ADHD who chill out best with manmade sounds can choose Clothes Dryer, Fan, Vacuum, or Washer.
White or brown noise appears to help the brain harness the neurons, focus attention and quiet noisy thoughts. It's unclear whether these types of sounds could also benefit people who don't have ADHD.
What instrument is best for ADHD?
- Guitar. The guitar is among the best instruments for ADHD players because it is one of the primary rhythm setters and has the advantage of mobility. ...
- Piano. ...
- Violin. ...
- Harmonica. ...
- Drums. ...
- Ukulele.
Being neurodivergent means having a brain that works differently from the average or “neurotypical” person. This may be differences in social preferences, ways of learning, ways of communicating and/or ways of perceiving the environment.
- Struggling with reading and writing.
- Clumsiness.
- Finding it hard to cope with crowds, bright lights, loud, sudden noises, or social situations.
- Difficulty with focusing or keeping still.
- No smiling or social responsiveness.
Neurotypicals learn things more quickly in the ways that information is currently typically presented, whereas neurodiverse people may find it harder to process facts presented in this form. The latter may need more training time or different approaches because their brains are wired differently.
For many people with ADHD, steady background noises will improve concentration and fixation on given tasks1 because it blocks out otherwise distracting and unwanted background noises. At the same time, white noise is suspected to stimulate dopamine production in the brain.
According to psychologists, there may be a reason you need the noise. For DISTRACTION. Clinical Psychologist, Jenna Carl, said “Background noise may be used in an attempt to distract from or avoid unpleasant emotions and thoughts.” You could be using music or noise as a coping skill.
What Color Noise Is Best For Anxiety? White noise can be one of the best colors to help with anxiety, especially if you have trouble sleeping at night. The steady drone of white noise is wonderful for insomnia. You may also want to try pink noise for the same ailments.
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You can also do the following to increase your dopamine levels:
- Try something new.
- Make a list of small tasks and complete them.
- Listen to music you enjoy.
- Exercise regularly.
- Try meditation or yoga.
Tips for Being a Better Listener When You Have ADHD
Paraphrase – Repeating back to your conversation partner what you heard them say reinforces the conversation in your mind, shows the other party you are interested, and keeps you engaged in the overall flow of the conversation.
Pink noise reduces the difference between the background hum and loud, jarring noises that jolt you out of sleep, like a door slamming, a car horn honking, or someone snoring. So it may help you fall asleep faster and keep you in a deep sleep longer. You may also feel more rested when you wake up.
What happens if you listen to binaural beats everyday?
There are no known side effects to listening to binaural beats, but you'll want to make sure that the sound level coming through your headphones isn't set too high. Prolonged exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss over time. This is roughly the level of noise produced by heavy traffic.
Low Beta Waves 12-15Hz (SMR) Just Isochronic Tones
Try this pure isochronic tones frequencies in the Sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) range of 12-15 Hz that is helpful for relaxed, laser-like focus (find out more about SMR Waves).
The most frequently identified pattern assoicated with the inattentive type of ADHD is an excess of low frequency components (4-7 Hz) combined with too little high frequency (18-21 Hz) in the midline and frontal cortices.
I want to emphasize that giftedness is one form of neurodiversity, and it is not exclusive. Many people have giftedness as one part of their neurodiversity experience, and they may also have other kinds of diagnoses, for example ADHD.
“With this definition, anxiety can be considered a form of neurodivergence, although it may not be as commonly recognized as ADHD, autism, or trauma,” she says. Many people utilize self-identification to categorize themselves as being neurodivergent, explains Claney.
There is greater variability among those who are any type of neurodiverse than between neurotypicals and neurodiverse individuals. Giftedness is a form of neurodiversity; the pathways leading to it are enormously variable, and so are children's resulting learning needs.
Classical music
Classical and other soothing music can lower the heart rate, blood pressure and levels of the cortisol stress hormone. In addition, classical music increases serotonin production, which helps combat anxiety, panic and depression.
Another method of reducing anxiety is music therapy. Many musicians advocated that 432 Hz is the closest frequency to the natural human frequency. Music with slow and melodies provides emotional and physical relaxation in listeners.
So how can 8D audio help us relax? It is similar to binaural beats, where each ear hears tones at different frequencies. This means that 8D audio can potentially unlock the same benefits claimed of binaural beats – namely, a state of relaxation and induction of the mental state associated with meditation.
Classical music by composers such as Mozart, Bach, and Vivaldi are just some examples of music with a structured rhythm that has worked well with people that have trouble focusing. Some symptoms of ADHD may be linked to low dopamine- a neurotransmitter that plays a role in how we feel pleasure.
Do autistic people hear music differently?
Physiological responses show that the music experiences of autistic people are normal in comparison with the musical experiences of non-autistic people. But their emotion understanding, imagination and description is not.
People living with ADHD may have a variety of skills and abilities beyond those of their neurotypical counterparts. These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy.
Inattention, which occurs more frequently in those affected with the disorder, likely leads to mind wandering, or the drifting of thoughts from an activity or environment. Such drifting can lead to new, useful and creative ideas.
Music can be incredibly helpful for people with ADHD, but that comes with stipulations. For example, listening to binaural audio, background music without vocals, or chill electronic music like lo-fi hip hop can help ADHDers with focus and concentration.
Some research suggests that people who have difficulty with working memory, like those suffering from attention-deficit disorder, may experience earworms less, while people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, where there are these loops that play over involuntarily in their heads, may be more prone to earworms.
Very basically, panning music is music that is designed to move from one ear to the other in your headphones. You can either program your headphones to do this or the music may be mixed in a way that it moves from side to side. Music that is mixed to pan from side to side is called 8D audio.
Auditory stimming can involve the person repeatedly listening to the same sounds or making the same noises. Bubble tubes provide a gentle bubbling noise which can be very pleasant for auditory stimming. Auditory stimming examples: Playing the same song over and over, clicking fingers, clapping, humming.
Music relies on structure and the use of rhythm and timing. Since ADHD often involves difficulty with tracking timing and duration, listening to music might help improve performance in these areas. Listening to music you enjoy can also increase dopamine, a neurotransmitter.
How does it work? MUSIC PROVIDES STRUCTURE. Music is rhythm, rhythm is structure, and structure is soothing to an ADHD brain struggling to regulate itself to stay on a linear path.
Since ADHD can involve difficulty tracking timing and duration, listening to music is beneficial because it relies on structure and timing, and rhythm.
Why do I constantly need background noise?
According to psychologists, there may be a reason you need the noise. For DISTRACTION. Clinical Psychologist, Jenna Carl, said “Background noise may be used in an attempt to distract from or avoid unpleasant emotions and thoughts.” You could be using music or noise as a coping skill.
Background noise, particularly brown noise, drowns out the distracting chatter of their thoughts. Background noise in general can help people with ADHD when they struggle to focus or relax, because it helps them concentrate on what they're doing rather than racing thoughts or other distractions.
Brown noise is a low-frequency background sound that helps people with ADHD focus and feel calm. Its millions of views on TikTok suggest that many are eager to know the science behind this psychophysical phenomenon.
Self-stimulatory behavior, often called “stimming,” is when a child or adult repeats specific movements or sounds as a way to self-soothe or remain engaged in a situation, often referred to as “fidget to focus.” Many people assume that only individuals with autism engage in self-stimulatory behaviors.
There is some evidence to suggest that students with ADHD can excel at music, as they can possess the ability to totally focus on something (like a piece of music) if it really interests them.
Verbal stims that may be common with ADHD are often symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, as presented by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) : blurting. humming. singing or repetitively quoting from a movie or video.
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