“The Earth has music for those who listen.”
-George Santayana
You know that feeling of refreshing calm that washes over you when listening to a babbling stream or rustling leaves in the wind? Science is finally supporting what our bodies have intuitively known for thousands of years: nature sounds heal.
Nature Is Good For You
When you can’t get out and experience nature directly, listening to natural soundscapes is the next-best option.
In today’s hectic world of appointments, deadlines and schedules, full relaxation can seem impossible. We are on the go all of the time. Most of us stress about everything we have to do in the morning, rush around all day trying to get it all done, and then we worry about everything we didn’t do and everything we have to do tomorrow! And all the while we’re surrounded by unrelenting noise.
Construction sites, traffic, airplanes, machines, sirens, lawnmowers, barking dogs and people talking on cellphones, no matter where you go, noise seems to follow. With all of this chaotic stimuli 24/7, it’s no surprise that noise-pollution-related diseases are on the rise.
Diseases Caused by Noise Pollution
Hypertension
Stroke
Tinnitus
Sleep Disturbance
Hearing Loss
In the 1980s we discovered sick patients heal faster when their windows face nature referred to as “green spaces.” Since then, science has discovered benefits associated with all five senses in relation to nature. Currently, our sense of hearing and response to natural sounds is cutting-edge research.
Listening to natural soundscapes has been shown to decrease pain and anxiety and even improve post-surgery recovery times.
In a recent study, nature sounds were found to reduce the body’s sympathetic response (fight-or-flight feeling) and increase the body’s parasympathetic response (natural resting state).
When you are stressed out, your body activates its sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Living in this state for prolonged periods causes side effects most of us are too familiar with: low energy, headaches, insomnia and decreased libido.
| Sympathetic (SNS) | Parasympathetic (PSNS) |
|---|---|
| Fight or Flight | Rest and Digest |
| Prepares for Action | Conserves and Restores |
| Increases Heart Rate | Slows Heart Rate |
| Increases Respiration Rate | Slows Respiration Rate |
| Releases Energy | Stores Energy |
| Slows Digestion | Increases Digestion |
In addition to reducing the body’s sympathetic response, participants in the study also had lower heart rates in response to natural sounds. Brain scans indicated that listening to artificial sounds promoted internal focus.
This is significant because internal focus is often connected to worry and rumination. Ruminating is “chewing-on” the same thing over and over. In humans, we often ruminate on negative events and memories in our lives. These thinking patterns have been linked to anxiety, stress, depression and PTSD.
We can use natural sounds to help get out of our heads! In the same study, natural sounds promoted brain patterns associated with external focus. In fact, listening to natural sounds for just 4 minutes can decrease stress and lower your heart rate.
4minutes
Listening to nature sounds for 4 minutes can lower stress
Click the button below to listen to nature sounds now!
