
Continuous white noise may be useful for masking the effects of noisy interruptions, such as doors slamming or cars honking, so the sleeper is less likely to wake up.

Research suggests that sudden increases in noise are especially disruptive to sleep. White noise may help people fall asleep faster and spend less time awake in bed when trying to sleep in a high-noise environment. In one study, researchers found that listening to nature sounds helped reduce nighttime awakenings, improved sleep quality, and reduced the time taken to fall asleep for people in the hospital. Research suggests that listening to nature sounds may help induce relaxation for people who have trouble winding down for bed. The best music for sleep may depend on your personal preference. However, surveys have found that people use many different types of music to fall asleep. Most playlists that are marketed for sleep feature slow, calming music. In another study, participants also reported that listening to music for sleep could help mask outside noises. The authors proposed that integrating music into the bedtime routine gradually teaches the brain to associate bed with relaxation instead of anxiety. In a recent review, researchers concluded that using music for sleep might be most effective after regularly keeping up the habit for at least three weeks. MusicĪlthough there is conflicting evidence, some studies have found that music may decrease the time it takes to fall asleep, improve self-reported sleep quality, and increase the proportion of deep sleep. While more research is needed, recent studies suggest listening to music, nature sounds, white and pink noise, meditation soundtracks, and tracks utilizing autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) triggers may help people sleep. Outside noises are most disruptive in the hours after falling asleep and shortly before waking up. To reduce the impact on your hearing, set sleep sounds to a safe volume and consider programming them to turn off in the middle of the night. Similarly, some people may find that wearing earplugs is enough to block out disruptive noises.

If your bedroom is completely quiet, you may not need to use any sounds for sleep. Listening to sounds before sleep may not work for everybody. Be sure to turn off notifications if you bring your phone into the bedroom. You can experiment with smartphone apps, white noise machines, and other methods to find a sound that helps you sleep. The best sound to fall asleep to depends on your personal preference, as well as your sleep environment and the nature of your sleep problems.
#NATURE SOUNDS FOR SLEEP HOW TO#
Research so far demonstrates that certain sounds may help people relax for sleep and improve sleep quality, so it’s worth examining how to do so, as well as what sounds work best for sleep. Using sound to improve sleep is an easy, low-cost method with few known side effects. There is growing interest in using sounds such as music and white noise to reduce the effects of environmental noise. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it may be impossible to ensure a sufficiently quiet bedroom environment.


The World Health Organization recommends keeping environmental noise levels below 40 decibels at night. A noisy environment can disrupt sleep and increase the risk of long-term health effects.
