Can't open the window and hear crickets chirp you to sleep on a summer night? Bring the crickets to you. Researchers also found participants' nervous systems moved toward a more relaxed, "rest and digest" mode of activity after listening to recordings from nature.Įmploying the sounds of the outdoors to help you sleep is one easy way to connect with nature if you're living in an environment with a lot of artificial noise. Inward-focused attention is associated with states of anxiety, stress, and depression-all of which can be antithetical to sleep. They found nature sounds led to more outward-focused attention in the brain, rather than inward-focused. Scientists at Britain's University of Sussex had participants listen to recordings of nature sounds and artificial sounds, while measuring their brain and nervous system activity. Even newer research suggests why the sounds of nature are so deeply soothing. Sound machines and apps for sleep are filled with noises of the woods and the wilderness-and there's some interesting science behind what nature can do for the mind.
Even more than volume, the abrupt, sudden presence of a noise can be jarring to sleep, Buxton and fellow researchers found in their 2012 study of how hospital noises disrupt sleep, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. One key to the power of water sounds to help us sleep, said Buxton, is the relatively gentle, gradual variations in the intensity of moving water sounds. Maybe it's the light patter of a rain shower, or the steady flow of a running stream that helps you wind down at the end of a long day. It's not just ocean waves that can provide soothing sounds to go to sleep. "It's like they're saying: 'Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry.'" "These slow, whooshing noises are the sounds of non-threats, which is why they work to calm people, "Buxton explained. Orfeu Buxton, an associate professor of behavioral health at Penn State University, described how the sound of the ocean can promote sleep. By creating a mental state of relaxation, contentment, and gentle focus, the wave sound can be deeply relaxing. For many people, the rhythmic crashing of water onto sand and rock can be meditative-and meditation carries some surprising health benefits. It's no surprise that ocean waves are a popular choice for soothing sleep sounds.
In a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine, researchers at Brown University Medical School reported patients in a hospital intensive care unit awakened less frequently during the night with white noise present, because it decreased the difference between background noise and the "peak" noises that punctuated the hospital's noise environment. Like a whirring fan or the hum of an air conditioner, white noise provides an even, steady stream of sound. A mixture of all sound frequencies at once, at the same level of intensity, white noise does a good job of masking other noises that can disrupt your sleep. And if you're trying to sleep in a loud environment, white noise might help you nod off more easily. If you regularly struggle with insomnia, make sure you're aware of these easy fixes.
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