NEUROACOUSTICS EXPLAINED

After doing initial research into products pushing the boundaries of performance and recovery in football, we were tipped off about an American company using patented 'neuroacoustic' technology.

RESEARCH: NuCalm inventor carried out years of neuroscience testing

Eager to find more information, our fact find became a research exercise to see how it would work for footballers. The company in question is NuCalm. Invented by Dr Blake Holloway, NuCalm is backed by over 30 years of patented, clinically proven neuroscience. The technology used to be an FDA Class III medical device sold exclusively to doctors and the US Military. But in November 2021 the company successfully launched a mobile app to make NuCalm easier to use and more affordable.

Today, using just a mobile app and headphones you can change your mental state on demand using any of the 6 channels that manage brain wave function across all 5 categories (Delta > Theta > Alpha > Beta > Gamma), from the deepest levels of sleep to the highest levels of intensity.

Using complex mathematics, physics, and algorithms, the NuCalm neuroacoustic software gently guides your brain waves to a desired outcome, and it does it safely and reliably. Just like a cup of coffee increases your brain waves, presenting your brain with a direct signal can naturally do the same thing. 

NuCalm CEO Jim Poole gave football4football exclusive insight into the patented software's key features.

GOING BEYOND BINAURAL BEATS

You may have seen footballers rocking headphones before a big match or on the team coach. Usually, though, this will be a basic music preference to help get into flow. The science behind NuCalm is complex. But it's complex for a reason because it is safely managing the complexity of the brain. Headphones are also used with NuCalm, but for a different purpose than just blasting tunes.

HEADLINER: Pre-match, many players use music to focus

NuCalm uses isochronic wave forms and binaural signal processing to present the brain with a pattern that it follows. For sleep it guides brain waves to the slowest wave form of 0.5Hz, whereas, for peak performance and high intensity it paces brain waves to the highest frequencies of 41Hz. NuCalm uses your ears as a carrier for the signal to the brain, so headphones are necessary to achieve the best outcome.

BRAIN POWER: Being able to harness specific mental states is valuable

UNDERSTANDING ALPHA AND THETA

Like a tuning fork, NuCalm presents a signal to the brain that paces the brain’s natural oscillations. One of the keys to NuCalm’s clinical strength is a complex non-linear oscillating algorithm that continuously tricks the brain, ensuring that the brain never figures out the pattern, thus never builds resistance to the neuroacoustic software.

For sleep, NuCalm guides brain waves to Delta (4Hz – 0.5Hz). This area of deep sleep is where the body gets to recover and restore. For healing and recovery, NuCalm guides brain waves to Alpha and Theta (12Hz – 4Hz). Theta is the healing zone and is when your cells do their cellular maintenance and clean out toxins, and where your cell’s energy source, mitochondria, is restored. According to research done at Harvard Medical School by Dr. CK Peng, 20 minutes of NuCalm is equivalent to over 2 hours of restorative sleep.

THETA: Different brain waves can help you rest and recover better

For high intensity, peak performance, NuCalm guides brain waves to Gamma (39Hz – 41Hz). Gamma elicits dopamine, activates your gross motor cortex and sensory motor rhythm, intensifies focus and peaks your senses, putting you into a state of absolute certainty, increasing your endurance and strength. This channel has been used by professional athletes and elite military special forces for more than 7 years, something no doubt, footballers would like to benefit from.