Humans have fallen asleep to nature sounds for a long time, but as we advanced, our sleep was suddenly invaded by less soothing sounds. From our beeping phones to blaring TVs, noisy neighbors, and relentless traffic sounds, it has become more challenging for most of us to fall asleep peacefully and sleep through the night.
Experiencing poor sleep regularly can harm your overall well-being, so it is essential to address any problems to create an optimal environment for rest. You may not be able to move to the countryside, but you can use nature sounds to improve the quality of your sleep. Sleep sounds are available on all sorts of apps and streaming stations, and one particular sound—that of rain—can help propel your sleep experience to another level.
Why is the Sound of Rain Soothing?
The science behind the soothing sound of rain proves that its gentle and rhythmic sound acts like a soothing lullaby for most people and helps them fall asleep effortlessly. Studies show that our body relaxes when we hear nature sounds, like the sound of rain, while our brain produces alpha waves, which stimulate it during sleep.
Four Ways Rain Sounds Help You Sleep Better
1. Lowers Feelings of Stress and Anxiety
The soothing sleep sounds of rain can bring you into the present moment, pulling your mind away from past thoughts or future worries that fuel your stress and anxiety. When you are conscious of the present moment and feel a sense of peace, falling asleep becomes less complicated.
2. Boost Cognitive Ability
In a remarkable study, researchers observed that students who worked on arithmetic problems while listening to rain sounds had a better response time to solve problems. This suggests that the sound of rain positively impacts our cognitive abilities.
3. May Promote Deeper Sleep
When the rain sounds quiet down those stressful and anxiety-fueled thoughts, your brain may find it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. As this happens, you can experience all four sleep stages, including REM sleep, which is critical for our cognitive abilities. To maximize this vital stage and unlock its benefits, discover how to get more REM sleep.
REM sleep lasts 90 to 120 minutes per cycle and occurs several times throughout the night. Researchers characterize it as a cycle with increased brain activity. During this time, we experience vivid dreams, and our brain processes thoughts and emotions and determines what it wants to remember.
4. Masks Noises That Interrupt Sleep
Another reason rain sounds can help promote deeper sleep is because they mask other noises that may interrupt your rest. If noisy neighbors or the constant sound of cars jolt you awake, the rhythmic and gentle sound of rain plays a crucial role in masking these sounds to avoid interruptions.
Conclusion
Rain sounds are available to you naturally or through green noise audio. So, it is a good idea to try falling asleep to this sound to see if it improves the quality of your sleep.
Getting used to a sound takes time, so give rain sounds a couple of days before determining whether it is the sound you need to optimize your sleep.
Jessica has a flair for writing engaging blogs and articles. She enjoys reading and learning new things which enables her to write different topics and fields with ease. She also strives to break down complex concepts and make them easy for anybody to comprehend.
