As I write this, I’m listening to a soundtrack of frequencies designed to help alleviate brain fog and lack of focus—two things that never hurt to have under control while working. It sounds a lot like a wobbly buzz, but it's actually a layered sound specifically designed to wiggle around in my brain and tune everything on a cellular level.
The soundtrack can be found on the Soaak app, which offers clinically curated frequencies to help with focus, anxiety, depression, sleep, and more. If you're addicted to the sound of rain or white noise, these Soaak sounds have many of the same soothing benefits, but they also have extra scientific backing.
Sound therapy has been around for a long time, but it's also become a hit on TikTok, with millions of views in all its forms. You can find sound baths with crystal healing bowls that ring in different tones—such as C, D, E, F, G, A, and B—to represent and balance your seven chakras. Binaural beats are also popular. When two tones are played at slightly different frequencies, an auditory illusion is created that has the same benefits as deep meditation, including reduced stress and improved sleep.
Soaak's frequencies, on the other hand, are combinations of sounds curated by a team of doctors, and according to the company, the app takes sound therapy to another level. Read on below for my honest review of the app, including how I feel about listening to it in my daily life.
What to know about the Soaak app
Soaak application overview
- Price: $29.99/month, $299.99/year
- Best for: Relieving anxiety, improving concentration, improving sleep
- My rating: 4/5
- Pros: Easy to use, mood-boosting, science-based, unique health tool
- Cons: Pricey, some 21-day programs seem outdated
The Soaak app comes with thirty different "clinically proven sound frequency combinations" that you can play throughout the day to relieve stress, increase focus, relax, or fall asleep. Their slogan is "Immerse yourself in a symphony of self-care" - and honestly, that's what it feels like.
The app allows you to play the frequencies individually, but you can also use the app's dual audio feature to play them in the background while you listen to your favorite music, podcasts, or audiobooks. Frequencies don't have to be loud to work their magic, so you can play them low enough that they're barely noticeable - and almost subconscious.
The app also offers wearable connectivity, so you can sync your health biometrics like heart rate with your Apple Watch (sorry, no other smartwatches are compatible yet). This leverages the app's virtual health concierge, which uses data from the watch to suggest personalized health tips, such as which frequencies to listen to.
Like most standard wellness apps, it has a gratitude journal section, daily mindfulness intentions, positive morning affirmations, and a variety of podcast-style wellness shows you can listen to.
These come directly from experts in the wellness industry and beyond, such as doctors, meditation instructors, CEOs, and more. Topics covered include healing your inner child, creating a culture of connection, building charisma, and more.
The app costs $29.99 per month or $299.99 per year, and there's also a free trial so you can take it for a test drive before buying.
What role does treatment frequency play?
To get more information about Soaak's layered frequencies (the main feature that inspired me to try the app), I spoke with Henry Penix, co-founder and executive chairman of Soaak Technologies, who said frequency therapy works through "sympathetic nerves." Principles to Explain Resonance,” essentially a form of vibration therapy.
"The body's plastic frequencies align with the unchanging frequencies in the application, promoting targeted benefits such as enhanced sleep, improved focus and reduced anxiety," he said. In other words, this means that the sound waves have an impact on your physiology, helping you feel more in tune overall.
He added that the sounds can serve both active and passive needs. "It's a great resource for immediate help in a variety of situations, such as anxiety attacks, trouble sleeping, or staying focused at work," he tells Bustle. If you are feeling sad, you can tune into a frequency to make yourself feel lighter. If you're stressed, anti-anxiety tunes can do the trick.
But these sounds are also good for preventive care. “Many users integrate Soaak into their daily lives, taking advantage of its passive listening capabilities during activities such as working, driving or exercising,” he said. Target? Nip anxiety in the bud before it rears its ugly head.
my experience
As someone who often plays white noise while working, I chose white noise that has some therapeutic properties to start with. Soaak's frequencies can drown out background noise, especially when you play them on headphones, and they're said to help you feel better, so I'm all for it.
Being an anxious girl, I went straight to the "Anti-Anxiety" track under the "Frequency" tab, which is designed to calm you down by supporting deeper breathing while also increasing a sense of calm - in my opinion, All of these are good things.
I would compare this song to the interstellar space noise you hear in science fiction movies. There’s a lot of swing and different vibrato intonations. It might be a little off-putting or weird at first, so there's also the option to layer the tones with natural noise or music in the app, or you can have your usual music playing in the background.
To my surprise, these frequencies continued to play even after I left the app and navigated to Spotify and played some low-key music. While the beats are still noticeable, they do seem to blend into the background, making listening to my favorite tunes more bearable.
According to Penix, listening to the frequency one to three times a day for twenty minutes is the most beneficial way to use the app. Some people feel the positive impact immediately, while others need to listen a little longer.
As for me, I did feel physically calm within about five minutes. Instead of feeling nervous because my thoughts were racing, I was able to put my shoulders down and go back to my day without feeling nervous.
Next, I tried the "Sleep Well" track, which supports falling asleep faster. It can also help you roll over less, get into deeper REM sleep cycles, and wake up refreshed.
Since each song is twenty minutes long, I played this spacey tune the first time I went to bed, and it eventually turned itself off. That night I had the most vivid dream I've had in a while, and it's rare to wake up and remember it so clearly. Based on my dreams alone, I felt like I was definitely entering the recovery phase of sleep.
Another favorite frequency of mine is the "Depression Relief" track. I played this tune one afternoon when I was feeling low, and I don't know if it was a placebo, a distraction - or if the frequency actually made a difference - but by the end of the 20 minutes I felt lighter .
To test one of the available 21-day plans, I went into the Plans tab within the app and scrolled through the various options. The one that stood out to me was Ali Levine, a certified breathwork specialist whose three-week course focuses on changing your perspective and giving you the tools to be more mindful. The goal is to feel more confident, grounded and energized.
Every day, you get access to one of 21 audio tracks, and these tracks are really short and sweet, only 5 minutes long. In the first example, Levine told me about positive affirmations such as, “I breathed in fresh energy and exhaled my own limiting beliefs.”
She also reminded me to consciously breathe in and out, which was helpful as someone who often holds my breath when under stress. After two weeks of listening to Levine’s track, I’m officially looking forward to listening to it every day – it’s like my own little daily ritual.
takeout
First off, I'll start by saying that the focus frequency really seemed to help me stay on target while writing this review, so that's a major bonus.
I would also say that if you are looking for a supportive measure to deal with the annoying ups and downs of life such as brain fog, anxiety, lack of sleep, or bad moods. When you combine these frequencies with other health practices such as long walks , talk therapy, etc.), the benefits are apparent when combined.
Soaak has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars in the App Store based on over 40 reviews, so it seems to be of great help to others as well. While it's not necessarily budget-friendly, I think it can't hurt to try something new, especially if you haven't had much luck with other forms of self-care. If in doubt, why not listen to some sci-fi beats?
Research reference:
Bartel, L. (2021). Possible mechanisms of the effects of acoustic vibrations on human health. Healthcare (Basel). doi:10.3390/healthcare9050597.
