What Sounds Soothing?

This opposite response to “fight-or-flight” helps the body relax and fall to sleep. Even with access to an endless variety of sleep sounds, relaxing music remains one of the most beloved sounds people like to fall asleep to. Classical music has been shown to promote better sleep in individuals with sleep challenges and decrease depressive symptoms, which may also interfere with quality sleep. Beyond helping you slip into a peaceful doze, white noise can be particularly soothing while working at your dining room table—and when I say “white noise,” I’m using the term loosely.

Many participants also reported decreased pain and improved mood, and they performed better on cognitive tests. Also, we thank numerous park staff and Colorado State University technicians for placing and servicing acoustic recorders and J. Job, C. White, E. Brown, D. Joyce, and Colorado State University/National Park Service acoustical technicians for analyzing acoustic data. But most of the time, in the heart of most deserts, you can hear nothing but the sound of silence. Most deserts are much hotter in daytime than at night.

In addition to being a major motivation for visiting parks , these natural soundscapes represent important resources to be protected and enhanced for both ecological and social benefits . The health benefits of exposure to nature are well documented (for a recent overview, see ref. 9). Here, we define human health broadly, encompassing physiological outcomes (e.g., stress) and potential psychological precursors along the pathway to health outcomes [e.g., preference ]. Two psychological theories explain the mechanistic basis of the restorative effects of exposure to nature , drawing heavily from the theory of evolution . Attention Restoration Theory centers on the ability of nature to replenish attention through unconscious, cognitive processes .

Pink noise sounds slightly deeper than white noise and is steadily gaining recognition as a useful sleep aid . Because pink noise has more intensity in the bass frequencies, many people find it doesn't sound as high-pitched as white noise. Since white noise contains all frequencies at equal intensity, it can mask loud sounds that stimulate your brain. That’s why it’s often recommended for sleeping difficulties and sleep disorders like insomnia. Natural sounds and green environments have been linked with relaxation and well-being for hundreds of years, of course.

In a small 2012 study in the Journal of Theoretical Biology , researchers found that steady pink noise reduces brain waves, which increases stable sleep. A 2017 study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience also found a positive link between pink noise and deep sleep. This recording features continuous sounds of rainfall with faint birdsong and gentle forest rustle.

I think the sudden drop in volume wakes me up when the timer runs out. Nature app works in background also it has auto-off timer. Ratcliffe said there were a number of explanations for the findings. “Some are psycho-evolutionary, that we are adapted to be in a natural environment like woodland. Researchers used a system called mental chronometry in which reaction times are used to help judge how strongly people react to the different stimuli. It extols the beautiful nature sounds for relaxation virtue of “forest bathing” or shinrin-yoku, the mindful exploration of woodland first developed in Japan in the 1980s.