If you have ever tried flossing your teeth, you know that it helps remove plaque and food particles from places where a toothbrush cannot reach. What about brain flossing? Heard of it yet? Well, there is no dearth of new wellness trends on TikTok, and brain flossing is the new one.
Anxiety is a common complaint today, and finding ways to battle it is a priority for most, given the damaging long-term consequences. Mediation, journaling, and talk therapy are some common choices, and amidst all this, TikTok has introduced us to brain flossing, reports The New York Post.

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Brain flossing, also called brain massage, has a formal name: bilateral stimulation, and it is being touted as a good remedy for anxiety or stress and beneficial for those with ADHD. 
It involves listening to 8D audio or binaural beats to stimulate both hemispheres of the brain.

8D audio gives the feeling of music traveling from one ear to the other, creating the sensation that you’re clearing the brain of unwanted muck. It gives a multidimensional, immersive listening experience by bouncing sound between the left and right ears, stimulating both hemispheres of the brain in a unique way that has a calming effect. This back-and-forth effect of the sound panning between ears is where the practice gets its nickname.
It is said to help remove lingering worries, distractions, and stress and optimises the mind to function at its best. 
One can find a variety of tracks on TikTok, YouTube, or Spotify by searching for ‘8D audio’ or ‘bilateral stimulation music’.

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The trend has become quite popular among neurodivergent individuals, who naturally experience sensations differently and many of whom have found bilateral stimulation helpful. Of course, some users might feel overstimulated when trying it out, and hence a caution—pay attention to your own reactions.

“It helps you just get unstuck from one side of your brain,” said Dr Naomi Bernstein, a clinical psychiatrist, in a recent TikTok video. “It helps you reconnect with a different part of your brain.”

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“It is a mental wellbeing phenomenon inspired by the idea of cleansing your mind, much like flossing cleans your teeth,” Uladzimir Seuruk, founder and CEO of the health and wellness firm Cata-Kor, told The New York Post.
“Many call it a ‘reset button’ for the brain, helping to straighten out racing thoughts and relieve the mind.”
Seuruk also recommends using headphones when you brain floss, since “it isolates sounds in each ear and then uses movement and depth to create an illusion.”
“These benefits can promote cognitive health by minimising chronic stress, which is an established risk factor for cognitive decline,” he said. 

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All one needs to do is look for 8D audio tracks easily available on YouTube and Spotify, use headphones for best results, and pick a quiet space to relax without any disturbance.
However, science does not yet back the idea. There’s limited data to prove that this actually works for all individuals.