What Are Brain Waves ?

Our Brain is made up of billions of brain cells, the neurons, theses ones use eletricity to communicate with each other. This combination of millions of neurons activiti gerate a enormous amoute of eletrical activity in the brain, that can be dectect and measured in an EEG( electroencephalogram).

Using Hertz to measured brain waves , the reseraches divide those ones in four diferents states :

- Delta waves (below 4 hz) occur during sleep

- Theta waves (4-7 hz) are associated with sleep, deep relaxation (like hypnotic relaxation), and visualization

- Alpha waves (8-13 hz) occur when we are relaxed and calm ( Meditate)

- Beta waves (13-38 hz) occur when we are actively thinking, problem-solving, etc.

In general, we are accostumed to using the beta brain rythm. When we diminish the brain rythm to alpha, we put ourselves in the ideal condition to learn new information, keep fact, data, perform elaborate tasks, learn languages, analyse complex situations. Meditation, relaxation exercises, and activities that enable the sense of calm, also enable this alpha state. According to neuroscientists, analysing electroencephalograms of people submmited to tests in order to research the effect of decreasing the brain rythm, the attentive relaxation or the deep relaxation, produce signficant increases in the levels of beta-endorphin, noroepinephrine and dopamine, linked to feelings of enlarged mental clarity and formation of rememberances, and that this effect lasts for hours and even days.


Refer : 

http://www.brainandhealth.com/Brain-Waves.html
http://www.doctorhugo.org/brainwaves/brainwaves.html