The Art of Tranquility is your best online source for acoustic environments that help with sleep, study, focus, and concentration.
Noise can interrupt sleep, and interrupted sleep is less restorative. Undesirable noise, like traffic that doesn’t disturb sleep can still affect sleep by changing the time we spend in different sleep stages, increasing lighter stages and decreasing more restorative slow wave and REM sleep. Noises during sleep may increase secretion of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol and elevate heart rate and blood pressure.
Short-term, fatigue, irritability, and poorer mental health are associated with exposure to nighttime noise. Long-term, poor quality sleep due to noise can have a number of adverse effects – heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, weight gain, increased use of sleep medications , decreased overall health, and certain types of cancer.
A very popular solution is to mask unwanted noise with a more desirable acoustic environment. Many find that masking background noise helps to distract from anxious or intrusive thoughts and readies the mind for sleep. The sounds found to be universally most effective are:
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Water sounds have been found to be relaxing for a number of reasons:
- Natural sounds: Water is a natural source of sound, and the sound of waterfalls, waves, rivers, or raindrops can remind us of natural landscapes. Such sounds evoke natural and peaceful surroundings, which can help us to feel more connected to the natural world and can have a calming effect on our bodies and minds.
- Steady and repetitive sounds: Water sounds typically have a steady and repetitive pattern that can help to promote relaxation. The sound of running water has a consistent pattern that can liken to a heartbeat, which can induce a relaxed state.
- Masking background noise: The sound of water can help to mask disruptive noises such as traffic or loud talking. This masking effect can help to promote relaxation and sleep.
- Positive associations: Many people associate water with positive experiences like swimming, paddling, or taking a bath, which may make the sound of water a comforting and soothing sound.
Moreover, research has found that listening to water sounds can lower cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, and promote relaxation and sleep. Listening to water sounds can induce a meditative state, helping our brains to focus on the present moment and reducing anxiety and stress.
Binaural beats are a type of sound therapy that is becoming increasingly popular for relaxation and stress reduction. Binaural beats involve listening to two slightly different sound frequencies, one in each ear, that the brain perceives as a single frequency tone. This phenomenon is caused by a process known as brainwave entrainment.
For example, if a person listens to a tone of 400 Hz in one ear and a tone of 410 Hz in the other ear, their brain perceives the difference between the two tones, which is 10 Hz, as a single tone. This is because the brainwave activity in the auditory cortex of the brain synchronizes to the difference between the two tones, which results in a perceived tone of 10 Hz.
Binaural beats are thought to have potential benefits for relaxation, stress reduction, and meditation. They are believed to stimulate specific brainwave frequencies that are associated with deep relaxation and reduced anxiety, such as alpha and theta brainwaves. Research has also suggested that binaural beats can help improve mood, improve focus and concentration, enhance creativity, and improve cognitive function.