Research
Binaural beats are two close tones, one in each ear. You hear them as one slow pulse.
Some people like them for winding down or focusing. The research is mixed.
These are the studies that shaped the sound design, including mixed and negative results. They’re background, not proof. Not medical advice.
The beats
- Binaural beats and brain oscillatory activity, systematic reviewIngendoh et al. 2023, PLOS ONE
- Personalised theta and beta beats, EEG studyCorona-González, Alonso-Valerdi & Ibarra-Zarate 2021, Frontiers in Psychology
- Parametric investigation, sustained attentionMelnichuk, Cooper & Hawk 2025, Scientific Reports
- How the beats are heard, the classic overviewOster 1973, Scientific American
- Binaural beats through the auditory pathwayOrozco Perez, Dumas & Lehmann 2020, eNeuro
Slow-wave audio
Lab studies that time sound to slow waves during sleep. Settle doesn’t measure your sleep.
- Closed-loop slow-wave acoustic stimulationNgo et al. 2013, Neuron
- Acoustic slow-wave enhancement, older adultsPapalambros et al. 2017, Frontiers Hum. Neurosci.
- Closed-loop stimulation, memory effect not replicatedHenin et al. 2019, eNeuro
Pulsed tones and noise
- Auditory steady-state responses, backgroundPicton et al. 2003, Int. J. Audiology
Slow breathing
- Resonance breathing, biofeedback rationaleLehrer, Vaschillo & Vaschillo 2000, Appl. Psychophysiol. Biofeedback
- Slow paced breathing and heart rate variability, meta-analysisLaborde et al. 2022, Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev.
What Settle says
Settle is an audio app, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition. For medical advice, see your doctor.