alpha wave
3
6.4
- noun
- /ˈælfə weɪv/
- Specialized
:
onda alfa
- Alpha waves, which range from 8 to 12 hertz, indicate a state of relaxation in an awake individual.
- alpha waves in the brain
- produce alpha waves
- alpha wave activity
I get into that alpha wave state where I feel like ideas either from my subconscious or just normally disconnected regions of my brain begin cross talking.
- I get into that alpha wave state where I feel like ideas either from my subconscious or just normally disconnected regions of my brain begin cross talking.
- The the alpha waves are getting slower.
Examples
-
Alpha waves, which range in frequency from 8 to 13 Hz, are sometimes called Berger rhythm, after Hans Berger, who first identified them.
Academic text (2006) -
Pure alpha waves for eight minutes, then back to normal.
Fiction book (1998) -
Alpha waves are signals in the brain associated with states of relaxation.
Blog text (13) -
Herbert found that in less than one minute of TV viewing, our dominant brain waves switch from beta waves to alpha waves.
Blog text (11) -
I get into that alpha wave state where I feel like ideas either from my subconscious or just normally disconnected regions of my brain begin cross talking.
-
L-theanine works by increasing the activity of alpha waves in the brain, which are associated with feeling both relaxed and alert.
-
In one study, scientists found that athletes' brains produced a burst of alpha waves when they reached a relaxed state before releasing the arrow.
Synonyms
A pattern of brain waves at eight to twelve times per second in people who are awake but relaxed
How Fast
- Specialized
1
5.1
- Specialized
35
4.0
- Specialized
3
6.4
- Specialized
2
7.7
- Specialized
1
7.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The term is compositionally transparent in that 'alpha' acts as a label/qualifier and 'wave' denotes an oscillation, so a learner can infer it is a kind of wave. However, the precise technical sense—an EEG brainwave at 8–12 Hz seen in relaxed awake people—is specialized domain knowledge not predictable from the parts alone, making the expression only partially transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Alpha wave comes from early brain studies, where scientists used Greek letters and named the first common pattern alpha. They saw a steady, slow wave in the brain when someone was awake but relaxed, so the name now means 'calm brain activity'.