The best sounds for sleep and relaxation

Many people suffer from poor sleep quality as we either can’t fall asleep or have trouble staying asleep.

There are many things you can do to improve your sleep, one of them being aware of your sound environment.

Too much noise or the lack of noise are often the cause for poor sleep quality as any spike in noise is easily hearable and will disrupt your sleep and wake you up.

By listening to soothing and calming background sounds, you can mask unwanted noise and create a pleasant environment if it’s too silent.

White noise, Pink noise and Brown noise

White noise contains all the different hearable frequencies and has therefore the capability to mask other annoying sounds.

Pink noise is gentler and more soothing than white noise, thus often regarded as a more pleasant and relaxing alternative to white noise.

Brown noise is even lower and similar to the sound of a rumbling waterfall, a distant thunder or the gentle rumble of the ocean.

White, pink and brown noise are all great for masking other annoying noises and can help you to have a deep sleep.

White noise to help babies sleep

Parents use white noise to calm their crying baby or help them fall asleep because before birth, the baby was used to different noises such as the mother’s heartbeat, respiration, and digestion, which all came in the form of white noise.
Playing white noise creates a familiar and calming environment for the baby.

Soothing nature sounds

It’s important to choose sounds that have a calming and relaxing effect on you. This can be a very individual choice. Some people might prefer nature sounds while others find the sounds of the train, airplane or a washing machine relaxing.

Generally, nature sounds have been proven to have a calming effect and reduce our feelings of anxiety and stress.

Soothing nature sounds are for example the sounds of rain, rustling leaves, crushing waves, wind, a small river or the sounds of cicadas.

Use an online background noise generator such as Noisli to create your personalized sound environment tailored to your taste. The more sounds you combine the more realistic your sound environment gets so to help you relax as best as possible.

Best sounds to fall asleep to

Our bodies function according to our circadian rhythm, which follows the natural cycle of day and night.

To help you fall asleep, you can use natural or realistic sounds that are associated with nighttime. These can include sounds like rain, wind, leaves, or cicadas. Additionally, the sound of a distant city or a light thunderstorm can also be relaxing.

Do not use sounds such as bird chirping or put sounds of a waterfall or thunderstorm too loud as it may be counterproductive and put you rather into alert mode than help you fall asleep.

Play with different sounds and mix them to your preference so to see what works and what doesn’t for you.

Best sounds to wake up to

The best sound to wake up to is the sound of chirping birds.

Many birds naturally chirp in the morning, making it a familiar sound to which humans have become accustomed. Bird chirping unconsciously signals the start of a new day, helping us to wake up more easily.