What’s the secret to relaxation? Is it music? Nature? Maybe it’s a bit of both. New research suggests natural sounds from the outdoors can affect the bodily systems that control your flight-or-fight and rest-digest autonomic nervous systems.

So what if you could use the natural music of the outdoors to help you relax, unwind, and destress? The idea of creating a soothing relaxation with nature can be enticing.

The waves crashing against the shoreline, the cool breeze blowing through the trees, or the melodies of birds that pass through your window in the morning could all positively impact your relaxation and help with stress relief.

During today’s read, you’ll learn:

• Why the sound of nature helps us relax
• How you can relax and destress with nature’s music
• Examples of natural relaxing sounds that could help you relax

Keep reading to learn more about relaxing music, and the soothing relaxation and stress relief nature can provide!

Why Does the Sound of Nature Help us Relax?

As we mentioned prior, new research suggests natural sounds can affect the flight-or-fight and rest-digest autonomic nervous systems - creating associated effects in the brain’s resting activity.

But what does this mean? This means that the sounds of nature physically change the state of our body and help us relax - this evidence supports the claims of the general public that nature sounds can help us relax. And now, there’s scientific evidence to prove it.

Even more interesting is when researchers did tests and compared brains listening to natural sounds versus artificial sounds - brain connectivity showed a focus of attention directed outward with natural sounds.

But when listening to artificial sounds, the brain connectivity reflected the focus of attention inward - similar to what happens with people who experience anxiety, PTSD, and depression.

Also, when listening to natural sounds, there was an increase in rest-digest nervous system activity. Which is associated with the relaxation of the body.

Numerous factors in this study point to the fact that nature and its natural sounds can help with the soothing relaxation of our bodies.

How can I Relax My Stressed Mind with Nature Music?

Whether you enjoy the natural sounds of the outdoors or want to play nature music from your earbuds, both can be effective in helping create soothing relaxation. There may be more benefits from embracing natural sounds compared to artificial ones, but overall, nature’s music is a great way to create stress relief.

You could try going for a hike and enjoying all the natural sounds of the forest. Or you could stroll near the water and ground yourself with the waves crashing against the shoreline. You may even be able to find soothing relaxation in the comfort of your own home with nature’s relaxing music from your headphones.

No matter the route you take, finding soothing relaxation from relaxing music in nature is a great way to create calmness.

It also has some additional benefits as well. Listening to nature may help you sleep better and increase your feelings of positivity.

What are Some Examples of Nature Sounds?

Nature offers an endless supply of sounds that can help us relax. Some of the most common and relaxing include:

• Water. Whether it’s the sounds of waves, the flow of a river stream, or the drops of rain that come from a storm. Water has this amazing ability to make us calm. Despite its unharmonious nature, its natural flow can put your mind at ease.
• Wind. The natural breeze, the sounds of trees brushing against each other, and the feeling of the wind against your skin can all create a soothing relaxation unlike anything else.
• Animals. The noises of animals around us can also bring a state of calmness. Most commonly, birds will bring relaxing tunes, songs, and presence when they’re around.

If you don’t have access to the outdoors or a quiet place where you can enjoy nature’s natural sounds, listening to nature sounds electronic may be your best bet. And although it might not be as good as natural sounds from nature, it can still bring you peace, clarity, and calmness.

We encourage you to find some soothing relaxation with nature or relaxing music.

What are the Best Nature Sounds?

There aren’t necessarily any “best” nature sounds. What might be your favorite might be someone else’s least favorite. But overall, to figure out the best nature sounds for your personal experience - it’s best to try out and experiment with many.

If you’re more inclined to the sounds of water, try that out. But if you’re more interested and calmed by the sounds of wind and birds, you should listen to that.

It depends on the individual and their preferences.

You should also try out the sounds of nature and nature’s relaxing music from your headphones. You never know; you might find joy in one versus the other. And learning your preferences and what works best for you is a key factor in finding soothing relaxation within your routine.

Conclusion

We can use natural sounds and relaxing music to create a better quality of life. From the sounds of water to the melodies of animals - the sounds of nature have this incredible ability to calm us.

And with recent research backing up the many personal stories and testimony to the calming effects of nature and relaxing music, we’re slowly discovering how powerful this practice can improve our lives, help us destress, and calm down.

Whether you embrace and enjoy the positive effects of nature yourself or with a pair of headphones, we encourage you to try out nature’s music and sounds to help you find soothing relaxation and distress and unwind.

If you’re looking for a place to get high-quality nature sounds directly from your phone, BetterSleep offers various choices. You can try BetterSleep for free today!