ADHD Music: What Is It and Why Is It So Popular?

Before diving straight into what ADHD music is and what defines it, let’s first examine the broader impact of music on the human brain. Extensive scientific research shows there’s a wide range of effects music can have on brain activity, as it interacts with nearly every region:

• It triggers the pleasure centers,

• Activates the auditory cortex,

• Engages with the motor system and

• Stimulates the areas responsible for memory storage and recall.

These studies show that music is a remarkably powerful tool, capable of profoundly enhancing and transforming brain functions when applied in the right context. By activating the pleasure centers in the brain, music ultimately increases dopamine levels, thus promoting feelings of pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. It is also believed to improve communication, boost one’s immune system, enhance resilience, and even tap into one’s primal fears and evoke powerful memories.

More importantly, however, music’s impact on the human brain has clinical implications as well. Research demonstrates that music can help us heal—both on physical and mental levels. It can reduce the frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy, help heal, advance, and compensate for disrupted brain function in conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and assist in the recovery and repair of brain damage.

Music also has notable benefits for our well-being. It can elevate mood, serve as a comforting distraction in challenging times, lower stress and anxiety, and help combat depression. Music’s therapeutic potential is also highlighted in the specialized field of music therapy.

In ADHD patients specifically, the right type of music can:

• Increase dopamine levels: People with ADHD often experience lower levels of dopamine, which can result in a range of symptoms, from emotional dysregulation to hyperactivity. Music helps to regulate and increase dopamine production.

• Reduce feelings of sadness and hopelessness.

• Increase focus and concentration.

• Lower anxiety.

• Improve time awareness.

• Enhance better social skills and interactions: Research shows that music fosters greater connection, coordination, and cooperation with others. Activities like playing or listening to music with someone promote positive social feelings towards that person (or a group of people). It also helps develop trust and strengthens empathy by encouraging synchronization and shared experience.

• Jog and enhance memory retention.

• Improve stress management.

The definition of ADHD music is pretty straightforward. It refers to a carefully curated set of sounds designed to help individuals, especially those with ADHD, remain focused and productive.

It’s important to note that ADHD music is grounded in scientific research. Thus, it’s not one of those fleeting trends that appear and show (a lot) promise only to be replaced with another trend a month later.

The great thing about ADHD music is that it can have positive impacts on practically everyone, and it’s definitely not just for those with an ADHD diagnosis. It has proven to help boost concentration and creativity among both neurotypical and neurodiverse creatives. Additionally, it is believed to support activities like meditation or exercise by promoting a calm and focused state of mind.

Binaural beats, often described as a form of auditory stimulation or illusion, are a hot topic in the ADHD music realm. They occur when you listen to sounds of a certain frequency with one ear and sounds at a slightly different—yet very similar—frequency with the other ear. This phenomenon causes the sensation of sound traveling from one ear to the other.

Binaural beats are said to quickly induce the same mental state that derives from a meditation practice. As a result, they offer several potential benefits:

• Promoting deep sleep and relaxation.

• Helping manage pain.

• Increasing focus, concentration, and motivation.

• Lowering stress levels.

• Enhancing long-term memory (not intelligence, though).

• Encouraging a positive mood.

• Reducing anxiety.

For binaural beats to work, research indicates that the two tones must have frequencies below 1,000 Hz, and the frequency difference between them cannot be higher than 30 Hz. Depending on the frequency ranges, different brain waves exist, each associated with different benefits and outcomes.

Generally, ADHD music isn’t tied to a specific genre or style. However, based on the scientific research on what helps people with ADHD, there are general principles recommended to follow and elements to avoid.

Characteristics of ADHD-friendly music:

• Lo-Fi beats: Music or production quality that embraces imperfection and distortion in sound creates a raw and authentic sound, which can promote a soothing auditory environment.

• Minimal or no lyrics: This can help avoid distraction.

• Ambient sounds

• Repetitive or binaural beats, found, e.g., in electronic or rock music

• Sounds and beats that make it easy to tune out

• White, pink, and brown noise: These consistent, non-melodic sounds (which can have various frequencies) are believed to help create a neutral auditory background, which feels soothing and aids concentration and sleep.

Elements to avoid:

• Music with vocals

• Tracks you dislike

• Popular tracks that you know all the lyrics to

• Music on the radio or free streaming platforms: Listening to music on such platforms is often interrupted by advertisements or, in the case of radio, other content one has no control over. This adds distraction and can pull one’s attention away from the present moment.

While these are some generic elements and characteristics to help you distinguish between ADHD-friendly music and distractive music, it’s also important to discover what works for you specifically. That’s because the effectiveness of ADHD music is highly individual.

Some people love fast-paced music as it can create a sense of urgency, motivate, and boost one's efforts to reach maximum productivity within a given period (and thus, for instance, important deadlines). Others, however, may find fast-paced music distracting or anxiety-inducing, constantly shifting their focus between the music and the task at hand. If you feel like you can’t concentrate while listening to energizing music, be sure to avoid it.

The same goes for your favorite tracks. Sometimes, very familiar music can create an ideal background setting that helps you tune out and better focus on what you’re doing. In other cases, it can prompt a dopamine boost, serve as a motivating backdrop, and fuel inspiration. For others, however, these tracks can become a distraction, turning their workplace into a dance floor and an impromptu concert in one.

Generally speaking, ADHD music is intended to help reduce external (or internal) noise and background distractions, allowing your mind to fixate on the task at hand. If you find that the music you’re listening to has the opposite outcome, experiment with different kinds of music and find what helps you concentrate best.

1. Start slowly and experiment with short time slots. Begin with short, focused sessions to figure out how ADHD music—and its various styles and branches—makes you feel. You can put it to the test during tasks that require intense focus and creativity, such as writing, composing, editing, designing, etc.

2. Take regular time intervals and breaks. Just as you need breaks from work, you’ll need breaks from listening to ADHD music. Incorporate regular structured intervals with breaks when playing such music in the background. Some people find the Pomodoro Technique most effective, which involves 25-minute focused work sessions followed by 5-minute breaks (intervals can be adjusted to fit individual preferences). You can also use music as a form of a time management tool—for example, by playing a 20-something binaural track as a timer. This approach can promote time awareness and help you stay committed to your tasks.

3. Invest in a good pair of headphones. High-quality headphones can completely elevate your experience of listening to ADHD music, helping you immerse yourself in the music and thus maximize its benefits. Focus on headphones that offer high sound quality for clearer listening and noise cancellation, blocking out any external distractions and allowing you to listen at a fair volume level (music at a high volume can also be distracting).

4. Build consistency. Listening to ADHD music regularly and in proper doses can be considered a brain workout. The more consistently you practice, the more your brain will learn to associate ambient, calm, and serene sounds with focused work sessions.