When AmberRoom isn't appropriate.

Audio entrainment is generally well-tolerated, but a small number of conditions warrant caution or a clinician's sign-off before use. If any of the following apply, please consult a healthcare professional before starting AmberRoom, and stop immediately if symptoms occur during a session.

Hard contraindications — do not use without clinical clearance

• Epilepsy or known seizure disorder. Rhythmic auditory stimulation (theta, gamma) has, in rare cases, been associated with seizure activity in photosensitive or audiogenic epilepsy. The AmberRoom audio is not visual flicker, but rhythmic activation through any modality is a non-zero risk for known epileptics. Do not use without your neurologist's clearance.
• Pacemaker, ICD, or implanted neural stimulator. The audio is not electromagnetic interference, but as a general principle we recommend any new rhythmic intervention be cleared with the implanting cardiologist or neurologist.
• Cochlear implant. Binaural beats rely on inter-ear phase differences that cochlear implant signal processing does not reliably preserve. The product won't harm you, but the entrainment effect won't land — there may be better wellness tools for your situation.

Caution — use with awareness, stop if symptoms appear

• Pregnancy. No evidence of harm, but no evidence of safety either — published research on audio entrainment doesn't typically include pregnant subjects. Conservative recommendation: skip the 40 Hz pain recipe; the others are comparable to listening to ambient music.
• Bipolar disorder. Some users with bipolar I report energy / alpha-range entrainment can contribute to hypomanic activation. If you're in treatment for bipolar, run sleep / calm / grief recipes only, and stop if you notice elevation.
• Schizophrenia or psychotic-spectrum conditions. Theta-band entrainment can produce hypnagogic imagery in some users. If you're in treatment for a psychotic-spectrum condition, please consult your clinician before extended use.
• Severe hearing loss or noise sensitivity. The pink-noise floor on the sleep recipe sits at -20 dB; the brown-noise floor on calm at -22 dB. These are well below conversational level, but if you have hyperacusis or noise sensitivity, start the volume slider very low and increase only if comfortable.
• Sudden-onset or asymmetric tinnitus. If your tinnitus started recently, is one-sided, or is accompanied by hearing loss, see an audiologist before using the tinnitus masking recipe — the underlying condition matters more than masking it.
• Recent traumatic brain injury or post-concussion syndrome. Auditory entrainment can increase symptom load during early recovery. Consult your physician on timing.

Behavioral safety

• Don't drive or operate machinery. Theta and delta entrainment is incompatible with driving alertness. The energy recipe is fine; sleep, calm, grief, and meditation are not.
• Use moderate volume. Long-duration listening at high volume risks hearing damage regardless of content. WHO recommends 60% volume / 60-minute breaks for daily-use audio.
• Don't fall asleep with earbuds in. Pressure-related ear discomfort is real. Use over-ear headphones or pillow speakers for the sleep recipe.

Adverse events

Tell us. Email safety@amberroom.app with what you experienced and which recipe you ran. We'll log it, follow up with questions if useful, and adjust the product if a pattern emerges. We don't share individual reports publicly; aggregate metrics may appear in transparency reports.

See also the Medical Disclaimer for the broader frame of what AmberRoom is and isn't.