Sound therapy is when a patient listens to some type of recording in order to switch off their brains and help them to fall asleep. Thanks to the advent of digital technology, the soothing sounds of nature can be with you in your bedroom at night when you’re trying to fall asleep, even if you live in the middle of a crowded city. These are often available to download for free or can be purchased on the internet and listened to either on your computer or on a device such as an MP3 player or recorded onto a CD.
The soothing sounds in nature, such as the sound of a rainfall or the rhythmic patterns of the sea, can help your brain to tune out altogether and can then allow you to fall asleep. Such recordings have been used to treat anxiety and depression as well as insomnia with a good level of success over the past years. It is thought that humans are in some way connected to the natural environment and that our bodies are particularly receptive to these types of sound
Not everybody responds well to all types of sound, so it is best to do a test beforehand and work out if there is anything grating to you about the sound of frogs, birdsong or waterfalls, for example, or whether these are, in fact, the perfect sounds to help you fall asleep.