RazzWorks

It would seem that most people find some sounds more pleasing than others. We all smile when we hear a baby laugh. We all feel sad when we hear someone cry. Sounds can bring back memories of the past and can cause us to feel certain emotions. Knowing this makes it reasonable to think they might be able to help us if we are feeling stress, anxiety, fear, depression, or even sad.

Scientists have studied the effects of sounds and found that some do have the power to make us feel happier, reduce anxiety, and even lower heart rate and blood pressure. Specifically the sounds of nature: birds singing, rain, waves, wind, and many other nature sounds.

I’ve always found that walking in nature is very calming. I love to hear the rustling of the leaves in the trees, waves breaking gently on a sandy shore, and rain falling on the roof of the car when I’m out for a drive. The thing is, our brain can’t tell the difference if we’re out in nature or sitting at home in our favorite chair listening to nature sounds on the computer. Both are equally soothing.

There are many wonderful benefits to listening to nature sounds. Here are a few:

Listening to nature sounds reduces our ‘fight-or-flight’ response and helps us to feel calmer and more relaxed. Many people find they sleep better with nature sounds playing. However, it may matter what type of sound you listen to.

Birds singing and chirping tend to be better for decreasing stress and anxiety while the sounds of water help more with relaxing the mind to go to sleep. With that said, however, any nature sound that is familiar to you will ease the chaos in your head as your brain works to remember where it’s heard the sound before.

For example, if you have spent a lot of time at the beach, listening to ocean waves may work better for you than birds in a rainforest. If you would like to try listening to various nature sounds RazzWorks also has a YouTube channel with many different videos you could try.

Maybe you have trouble sleeping or just need to block out outside distractions while you read or study. Or maybe you are under a lot of stress, feeling anxious or nervous, and need something to help you calm down and/or unwind. I like to listen to birds singing or the gentle lap of ocean waves, as background. It just makes me happier. Whatever it is I’m sure we have something you’ll like.

What are your favorite nature sounds and what do you use them for?

Roze