Why Are Nature Sounds Beneficial for Relaxation?
According to the researchers, a walk in the woods—or even a sound machine that plays nature recordings—can impact heart rate and alter brain connections.
Do you know the sense of clarity that comes over you when you listen to the water gurgling down a stream or leaves rustling in the wind? Researchers claimed to have discovered a scientific reason for why natural noises have such a calming influence on our minds: Innate noises physically affect our brain connections, lowering our body's natural fight-or-flight reaction, according to a March 2017 study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Nature sounds and relaxation
Natural sounds and green environs have been associated with relaxation and well-being for hundreds of years. This study is notable for being one of the first to employ brain scans, heart-rate monitors, and behavioral trials to establish a physiological explanation for these effects.
The researchers recruited 17 healthy people to obtain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans while listening to a variety of five-minute soundscapes of natural and artificial environments to study the relationship between the brain, the body, and background noise.
During each soundscape, participants also completed a task to assess their attention and response speed. Their heart rates were also monitored to detect changes in their autonomic nerve systems, which are the organs that control involuntary activities like breathing, blood pressure, temperature, metabolism, and digestion.
When the researchers examined the fMRI data, they discovered that activity in the brain's default mode network—an region involved in mind wandering and "task-free" states of wakefulness—changed depending on the background noises. Listening to manufactured sounds, in particular, was connected with patterns of inward-focused attention, whereas listening to natural sounds encouraged more external-focused attention.
Worrying and ruminating about oneself are examples of inward-focused attention, and they have been connected to situations causing psychological stress (including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder). When participants listened to fake noises rather than natural sounds, their reaction times were slower.
Slight variations in heart rate were also seen, indicating a change in the body's autonomic nervous system reaction. Overall, natural sounds were related to a decrease in the body's sympathetic response (which creates the "fight-or-flight" sensation) and an increase in the parasympathetic response—the one that helps the body relax and operate normally, also known as the "rest-digest" response.
The outcomes were not the same for everyone: The nature clips provided the most relaxing effects to those who began the trial with the strongest sympathetic responses (suggesting high levels of stress). People who began with modest levels of sympathetic response had a little rise while listening to natural vs manufactured sounds.
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How to Include Nature Sounds in Your Daily Life?
Cassandra Gould van Praag, Ph.D., a research fellow at the University of Sussex, said the study's findings might have real-world implications, particularly for those who are stressed out. "I would absolutely advocate a stroll in natural environs to everyone, whether they're currently frazzled or not," Gould van Praag said via email to Health. "Even a brief respite might be good."
Gould van Praag said the study motivated her to take pauses outside or listen to nature sounds on an app during her shift. "I found the downloaded music to be quite useful for those times when I couldn't move away from my workstation," Gould van Praag stated. However, Gould van Praag said that it took some time to locate an app "that was suitable for me," so he doesn't advocate jumping into any software or noise-machine purchases without first testing them.
Once you've found a pleasing natural sound, Gould van Praag believes it may assist increase your attention and concentration. Participants in the study performed better at "attention tasks" when listening to familiar noises vs unknown ones. "I think this reinforces the significance of choosing the correct setting or sound machine for the individual," Gould van Praag said. "If you are already highly familiar with rainforests, rainforest noises may have a significant soothing impact!"
Finding the appropriate background soundscape may also aid in the promotion of healthier sleep. According to Gould van Praag, "bad sleep produces autonomic stress (the fight-or-flight reaction), and autonomic stress induces poor sleep." "This would imply that anything that reduces the fight-or-flight response may be favorable to increased sleep quality." Gould van Praag also mentioned that reducing artificial noise, such as street traffic, might be beneficial.