Open almost any charting platform, add Bollinger Bands, and you get the same default: a 20-period moving average with bands two standard deviations above and below it. That setting is popular because it is familiar, not because it is the only correct choice. A 22-period Bollinger Band is a small change, but it is worth understanding what it does before you trade with it.
This article explains how the period setting affects the bands, why some traders prefer 22, and how to evaluate any setting without assuming one number is magic.
What the Period Setting Actually Controls
Bollinger Bands have two main inputs. The period sets how many candles are used to calculate the middle band, a simple moving average, and the standard deviation around it. The deviation sets how far the outer bands sit from that average.
A shorter period reacts faster. The middle band follows price more closely, and the outer bands widen and narrow more quickly as volatility changes. A longer period reacts more slowly. The bands become smoother, and a single sharp candle has less influence on their shape.
Moving from 20 to 22 periods is a modest step toward the slower side. The middle band lags price slightly more, and the bands are a little less sensitive to brief spikes. On most charts the difference is subtle, which is the point: it adjusts behavior without changing the character of the indicator.
Why Traders Use 22
There are a few practical reasons a trader might settle on 22 periods rather than the default.
It Approximates One Trading Month on Daily Charts
Many markets have roughly 21 to 22 trading days in a calendar month. On a daily chart, a 22-period band therefore describes price relative to approximately one month of activity. That gives the middle band an intuitive meaning: where price has averaged over the last month, and how far it is stretching from that average.
On intraday timeframes, this calendar logic no longer applies directly, but the smoothing effect still does.
Fewer Reactions to Single-Candle Noise
Because each candle carries slightly less weight in a 22-period calculation, an isolated spike is less likely to distort the bands. Some traders find this reduces the number of outer-band touches that look meaningful but turn out to be noise. It does not eliminate false signals, and it means some genuine moves are acknowledged a little later.
Consistency Matters More Than the Number
The strongest reason to use any fixed setting is that it lets you build and test rules around stable behavior. If you change the period every time a chart looks different, you can always find a setting that fits the past and never learn whether your rules work. Choosing one setting, such as 22, and keeping it allows your entry and exit rules to be reviewed on the same terms every time.
What Does Not Change
A 22-period band is still a Bollinger Band. The same limits apply.
An upper-band touch is not automatically overbought, and a lower-band touch is not automatically oversold. In a strong trend, price can ride an outer band for many candles. Narrow bands still show compression rather than direction. And the bands still describe past volatility; they do not forecast where price will go next.
The setting also does not change the need for confirmation. Whether you use 20 or 22 periods, you still need to wait for a completed candle, check the market condition, and define where the idea is invalidated before entering. The approach in confirming breakout trades with clear rules applies regardless of the band setting.
Comparing 20 and 22 on Your Own Charts
You do not need to accept any setting on trust. A simple side-by-side check will show you how the two behave on the instruments you actually trade.
1. Add two Bollinger Band indicators to the same chart: one at 20 periods, one at 22, both at the same deviation.
2. Use different colors so you can tell them apart.
3. Scroll back through trending periods, ranges, and volatile sessions.
4. Note where the two settings would have produced different signals under your rules, such as a close outside one band but not the other.
5. Record those cases and how each played out.
Over a reasonable sample, you will see whether the slower band filters noise in a way that suits your timeframe, or whether it simply makes you late. The answer can differ between a major forex pair, gold, an index, and a crypto pair, so test each market separately.
Avoid Endless Optimization
Once you start comparing settings, it is tempting to keep going: 21, 23, 24, then different deviations, then different settings per pair. Fine-tuning parameters until historical results look perfect is called over-optimization, and it often produces rules that fit the past and fail on new data.
A better approach is to pick a reasonable, explainable setting, define clear rules around it, and test those rules across different market conditions. If the results are poor, the problem is more likely the rules or the market fit than a period that is one or two candles off.
How the 22BB System Uses It
The 22BB System is built around a 22-period Bollinger Band framework with pre-defined rules for identifying setups, so the setting is fixed rather than adjusted chart by chart. If you want to see how the bands look on your own platform first, the free BB22 Lite indicator lets you put them on a chart and compare them with the default.
Whatever setting you choose, test it on a demo account before using real money. Trading carries substantial risk of loss, and past or backtest results do not guarantee future performance. Please read our risk disclaimer before trading.