Ride the Brain Wave (To Higher Performance)
What if you had a higher volume of creative ideas, your critical thinking was sharper, or your attention more focused? You would be a more innovative talent and a more dynamic and persuasive leader.
Neuroscientists reveal that increasing your presence in one of the five brainwaves can boost creativity, problem-solving, memory, and focus. Which one you increase depends on whether you need more analytical thinking or creative ideas.
Our brains have five brainwaves relating to these five mental states:
- Delta – Deep sleep
- Theta – Deeply relaxed
- Alpha – Relaxed
- Beta – Alert and focused
- Gamma – High-performance
Delta – Deep sleep
Nothing restores our mental, physical, and emotional states more than sleep. Delta waves are also crucial for physical healing and immune support. Because of it, we are sharper critical thinkers, more creative, and higher performers.
Delta brain waves are the slowest, and young children reach this deep sleep state more consistently than adults. Here’s one of many sites to help induce deep sleep.
Theta – Deep relaxation
Theta is a subconscious state best reached through meditation, daydreaming, light dreaming, and hypnosis. Connecting to the Theta brain wave is essential for increasing creativity and intuition.
If you’re more physically oriented, meditation also includes parking your conscious mind on repetitive activities like walking, running, swimming, and cycling. The key to receiving ideas and insights is to practice these activities solo.
Alpha – Relaxed
Alpha waves are the ‘frequency bridge’ between our conscious thinking (Beta) and subconscious (Theta) mind. Athletes, artists, actors, and media personalities connect to their Alpha brain waves to reduce stress, promote alertness, and enhance performance.
Ways of reaching this relaxed state include removing technological distractions, journaling, listening to relaxing music, deep breathing, visualization, and silence.
Beta – Alert and focused
Beta waves are the high-frequency waves most commonly present during thinking, calculating, tasking, reading, speaking, and performing. By doing the prep work with Delta, Theta, and Alpha brain waves, you’ll be sharper, more creative, and more intuitive during this high alert time.
When we don’t take time to relax and restore and we stay revved up in high Beta brain waves, it can lead to stress, anxiety, sleeplessness, and depression.
Gamma – High Performance
Gamma brain waves are the fastest waves measured by neuroscientists. They happen when you are “in the zone.” You lose track of time and may not even notice someone speaking to you.
It’s those times when you are immersed in a project, working on a bit, writing a blog, editing a video, or focused on a fascinating read. Researchers have found people most easily reach this state when they regularly practice meditation, yoga, and what???…eating pistachios!
Final Word
- Get enough sleep to restore your mind and body.
- Spend more time in Alpha and Theta mode to fuel your creative brain. Make this time a significant portion of your prep.
- Expanding your time in Delta, Theta, and Alpha brain waves will more consistently put you in the zone.
If you are like me and thrive on variety, rotating various approaches such as guided meditation, journaling, silent meditation, and visualization in Alpha and Theta mode, will jump-start your productive day.
Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash
