An alarming number of American adults experience some kind of sleep issue. Recent statistics from the American Sleep Apnea Association indicate that about 70 million people in the US are affected by at least one sleep-related issue.
Fortunately, more people are turning to natural sleep aids, such as night sounds for sleeping, to improve sleep patterns. If you have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep, this guide shares some helpful resources to catch more sleep at night.
5 Night Sounds to Help You Sleep Better
Nature Sound Retreat has an extensive library of night sounds, songs, and meditation music that effectively promotes deep sleep. These sounds are available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube.
In addition to increasing your chances of experiencing deep sleep, these night sounds or music can improve sleep efficiency, help you fall asleep quickly, and reduce racing thoughts that make sleep elusive. Also, they help you get back to sleep quickly after waking up in the middle of the night.
The following are five of our highly recommended night sounds for sleeping. Head to your preferred streaming platform, choose any of these night sounds, and press play!
- Just Waves: Two solid hours of pure surf and ocean waves to help you coast off to La-La land. You might want to try Just Waves if you have difficulty falling asleep.
- Songbirds: A 15-track album of soothing bird sounds in various natural settings. In addition to better sleep and sweet dreams, this nature sounds option works great for morning and night meditation sessions.
- Relaxing Waves: One hour of wave sounds gently washing over sand set in the ambiance of tropical nature. This is a solid and relaxing white noise choice for people struggling with insomnia.
- Just Fire: Two straight hours of natural crackling fire sound for relaxation and deep sleep.
- Just Rain: Two hours of uninterrupted peaceful rainstorm sounds to boost relaxation and deep sleep.
Making the Most of Night Sounds for Sleeping
You are probably doing something wrong if you use night sleep sounds but don’t get the desired results.
Here’s the thing.
While night sounds promote better sleep, they are not magic bullets. You won’t automatically enjoy deep sleep if you don’t have good sleep habits, even if you listen to the most powerful night sounds on your white noise machine.
In other words, you must learn what contributes to better sleep and do them consistently.
In addition to listening to night sounds, here are a few simple lifestyle changes that can set the stage for better sleep and sweet dreams.
Create an Environment Conducive for Sleep
Start by ensuring your bedroom environment supports deep sleep.
Ensure a comfortable temperature in the bedroom and turn off or dim the lights when it is time to sleep. Make sure your bed and mattress offer adequate support, and use comfy pillows and sheets.
You are likelier to have sweet dreams with night sounds for sleeping if you sleep in a room with little to no noise. One way to do this is to remove computers, laptops, TV, and other noise sources from your bedroom.
Avoid Frequent Naps During the Day
Naps offer several benefits, especially when limited to no more than 20 minutes. However, be sure to avoid late evening naps because doing so can prevent you from feeling tired enough to sleep at night.
Go to Bed at the Same Time Every Night
Have a sleep schedule and follow it consistently on all days, including weekends. Going to bed at the same time each night primes your mind and body to fall asleep at your bedtime.
And do your best to wake up at roughly the same time each morning. Maintaining a fairly consistent sleep routine helps set your body’s natural clock.
Be Mindful of What You Eat or Drink Before Bedtime
Consider cutting out caffeine, other energy-stimulating foods, and drinks at least 6 hours before your usual sleeping time. These substances can interfere with your natural sleep cycle, preventing you from falling asleep.
Also, it is a good idea to avoid alcohol consumption at night.
Alcoholic beverages may make you sleepy, but that’s usually a temporary state. Sooner or later, the effect of the alcohol will wear out, and you’ll likely wake up several times at midnight. This often contributes to poor sleep quality and sleep deprivation.
If you feel the need to ingest something to aid sleep, consider getting a good-quality CBD product for sleep. Check out this guide to find well-curated sleep-promoting CBD products.
Avoid Potentially Upsetting Situations at Bedtimes
Try as much as possible to stay away from the TV and social media for at least 30 minutes before going to bed.
Why is that?
First, the light from screens can interfere with melatonin release, making it difficult to fall asleep at night. Dim your phone’s screen if you must use it as an e-reader before sleeping.
Secondly, there is a high chance of encountering unsettling or stress-inducing content on TV and social media. That’s not exactly what you want to feed your mind right before going to bed.
Avoid Heavy Meals Before Bedtime
Having a heavy dinner right before hitting the sack generally isn’t a helpful practice. However, regardless of the amount of food you eat in the evening, eating your last meal of the day at least three hours before bedtime is usually a good idea.
This gives your body enough time to digest the food, so you don’t deal with discomforts like heartburn, nausea, or acid reflux that may disturb your sleep.
Get Out of Bed and “Reset” if You Can’t Fall Sleep
Generally, people with good sleep efficiency fall asleep within 20 minutes of going to bed. Don’t stay in bed for more than 30 minutes at most if you can’t fall asleep. Staying up in bed stressing over sleep is not likely going to help.
If you have trouble falling asleep, get out of bed and do meditation, read a book, or do something relaxing to reset your mind and body before returning to bed.
