Alpha waves are neural oscillations in the frequency range of 8–12 Hz[1] arising from the synchronous and coherent (in phase or constructive) electrical activity of thalamic pacemaker cells in humans. They are also called Berger’s waves after the founder of EEG.

Alpha waves are one type of brain waves detected either by electroencephalography (EEG) or magnetoencephalography (MEG), and can be quantified using quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG). They predominantly originate from the occipital lobe during wakeful relaxation with closed eyes. Alpha waves are reduced with open eyes, drowsiness and sleep. Historically, they were thought to represent the activity of the visual cortex in an idle state. More recent papers have argued that they inhibit areas of the cortex not in use, or alternatively that they play an active role in network coordination and communication.[2] Occipital alpha waves during periods of eyes closed are the strongest EEG brain signals.

An alpha-like variant called a mu wave can be found over the primary motor cortex.

Alpha brain waves are more rhythmical, and when you are caught up in their midst you are likely to be paying attention to your inner experience, rather than what’s going on around you – the Zen Zone.

This is a pretty cool idea, coined by Dr Herbert Benson from Harvard Medical School. Basically, the wise doctor was looking at top performers to see why they can remain cool as the proverbial cucumber whilst under pressure.

He found that an ability to access the relaxation response – characterised by, you guessed it, Alpha brain waves – was massively beneficial to the body and mind; and not just when under stress, but at any time.

Some of the major benefits, reported in Michael Hutchison’s excellent book Megabrain, include a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure and sweating …

… combined with a greater functioning of the digestion system, deeper relaxation of muscles, and an increase in the percentage of oxygen and blood flowing to the brain.

Sweet. There’s a lot of good stuff right there. It’s basically the opposite to what smoking and booze does to you 🙂

Additionally, people who can access this state tend to demonstrate superior performance on both physical and mental tests.

Now, you may be familiar with this relaxation response – also known as the quieting reflex – even if you don’t experience it much yourself.

If you’ve ever watched a cat or dog flit between states of intense mental arousal (playing, fighting, eating) and utter Zen’d chilled-out-ness (look up, stop, lay down, sleep) in about ten seconds flat, you’ve pretty much got the gist of what this powerful state can accomplish.

Us humans seem to have lost the ability to access this state at will.

Some of us try meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga and the like – but, well, that’s a lot of work – and some of us are busier focussing on world domination and other such plans to commit to a daily meditation practice.

Alpha waves (8 to 12 Hz) are present when your brain is in an idling default-state typically created when you’re daydreaming or consciously practicing mindfulness or meditation. Alpha waves can also be created by doing aerobic exercise.

Alpha waves took center stage in the early 1960s and 1970s with the creation of biofeedback, which is a technique used to consciously alter brain waves using direct feedback provided by an EEG type of device. Biofeedback is a type of neurofeedback typically used to teach practitioners how to create alpha brain waves.

When alpha oscillations are prominent, your sensory inputs tend to be minimized and your mind is generally clear of unwanted thoughts. When your brain shifts gears to focus on a specific thought—in either a positive or negative way—alpha oscillations tend to disappear and higher frequency oscillations begin running the show.

Alpha wave biofeedback has been shown to be a useful tool for treating anxiety and depression. Because alpha waves are linked with relaxed mental states, an increase in alpha wave activity is the goal of most biofeedback training. EEG can be used to provide moment-to-moment feedback when alpha waves increase or decrease.

Mindfulness training and meditation tend to produce noticeably more alpha waves without the use of technological machinery. Neuroscientists at Brown University are doing research on how the brain achieves “optimal inattention” by changing the synchronization of brain waves between different brain regions.

Their February 2015 study, “Attention Drives Synchronization of Alpha and Beta Rhythms between Right Inferior Frontal and Primary Sensory Neocortex,” was published in the Journal of Neuroscience.