Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management.
Research confirms these personal experiences with music. Current findings indicate that music around 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronize with the beat causing alpha brainwaves (frequencies from 8 – 14 hertz or cycles per second). This alpha brainwave is what is present when we are relaxed and conscious. To induce sleep (a delta brainwave of 5 hertz), a person may need to devote at least 45 minutes, in a relaxed position, listening to calming music. Researchers at Stanford University have said that “listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication.” They noted that music is something that almost anybody can access and makes it an easy stress reduction tool.
So what type of music reduces stress the best? A bit surprising is that Native American, Celtic, Indian stringed-instruments, drums, and flutes are very effective at relaxing the mind even when played moderately loud. Sounds of rain, thunder, and nature sounds may also be relaxing particularly when mixed with other music, such as light jazz, classical (the “largo” movement), and easy listening music. Since with music we are rarely told the beats per minute, how do you choose the relaxation music that is best for you? The answer partly rests with you: You must first like the music being played, and then it must relax you. You could start by simply exploring the music on this web page. Some may relax you, some may not. Forcing yourself to listen to relaxation music that irritates you can create tension, not reduce it. If that happens, try looking for alternatives on the internet or consult with Counseling Service staff for other musical suggestions. It is important to remember that quieting your mind does not mean you will automatically feel sleepy. It means your brain and body are relaxed, and with your new calm self, you can then function at your best in many activities.
Experiment now. Experience a “sound bath” and let the music carry you away
The links below each open relaxing musical selections in YouTube.
A Moment of Peace Meditation
Aneal & Bradfield, “Heaven and Earth Spirits” track from Life & Love). Lovely contemporary piano music with accompanying instruments and nature scenes.
Echoes of Time
C. Carlos Nakai from the Canyon Trilogy. Serene Native American flute music, with a picture of Nakai backlit by the sun at the Grand Canyon.
The Winding Path
Ken Kern from The Winding Path. Highly rated, beautiful piano music with accompanying instruments with pictures of exquisite flowers and plants.
Classical Indian Music for Healing and Relaxing
Gayatri Govindarajan, “Pure Deep Meditation” track. Lovely and rhythmic music played on the veena, the most ancient of the Indian plucked-instruments, with nature scenes.
Angels of Venice
Angels of Venice from Music for Harp, Flute and Cello. Classical with 3 instruments with nature pictures.
Earth Drum
“Spirit Vision,” (David & Steve Gordon. Serene and lovely contemporary Native American informed-drumming music utilizing Taos Log Drum and Incan Pan along with other instruments and ocean/forest nature scenes.
Buddha Spirit
Aneal & Bradfield from Light & Love. Reflective but strong contemporary music utilizing various instruments and occasional humming voices with colorful oscillating fractals
Spa Relaxing Music
Tranquil contemporary instrumental with piano and a fixed candle light.
Relaxation Music: 1-Hour Meditation Candle
Serene contemporary instrumental with piano and one flickering candle.
Sleep Deeply
Dan Gibson. Nature sounds and instrumental, tranquil sleep music.
Weightless
Marconi Union. The sounds on this video are carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines that help slow a listener’s heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and lower levels of the cortisol stress hormone.
Don’t you hate it when you wake up to loud and noisy alarm sounds in the morning that makes you feel grumpy all day? Having trouble falling asleep at night?
Nature Melodies is designed to help you wake up gently; calm your body, mind, and soul at all times. Nature is the only thing that can connect you with mother earth. For most people, living in a cosmopolitan city makes it impossible to wake up in countryside locations, and the only way to create a pseudo farmland like atmosphere within the four walls of your bedroom is by the use of Nature Melodies that makes you feel closer to nature. The soothing sounds of nature will also help you feel better, relax, release stress, prepare for meditation and fall asleep faster. This app can also be used in many different situations and is perfect during messaging sessions, exercising in yoga classes, while working on your favorite activities, or help your baby fall asleep if you’re a parent.
Download this app and start enjoying your night by listening to wonderful nature melodies that would help you sleep in less than 20 minutes, and wake up refreshed to the soothing and pleasant sounds of Rooster crowing, bird singing, Ocean waves, Thunder and Rain, Blizzard wind, and much more.
NATURE MELODY IS A 3 in 1 APPLICATION. You can set an alarm to wake up on a nature sound of your choice OR set a timer if you want the sound to stop playing after a period of time OR you can listen to the soothing sounds while using other apps.
What’s new?
Nature Melodies now includes an Alarm Clock that is really simple to use. Just Scroll through the nature sound list, set the alarm, and enjoys the beautiful simplicity of this app.
** Other nature/white noise apps claim that they have high quality sounds, but if you notice these apps don’t use up much space either because the sound length is very short or the sounds are not high quality.
Here’s how Nature Melody works:
Select the nature sound that you like. Adjust the volume of each sound for better quality. Relax and listen to the melody of your choice and enjoy falling asleep or waking up to nature sounds. It can’t get any simpler than this!
Note: In order for the timer or Alarm to run properly, the app must remain open. Do not press the home or power button. If you want your screen to turn off, just place your iPhone face down.
Features:
– 32 relaxing HD nature sounds with high quality that are perfectly looped.
– Plays in the background so you can save your battery life while still listening to the sounds.
– Simple controls that allows you to switch from one sound to another.
– Sleep/nap Timer
– Alarm Clock to wake up to the sound of nature.
Start falling asleep and waking up to the sound of Rooster crowing, Soothing Rain, Electrifying thunderstorms, Crickets and water, Sparkling water, Rain on window, Birds singing, Heavy hail, Crackling fire, Relaxing ocean, Pleasant beach, and much more.
Nature Melodies includes:
Soothing Rain
Thunder and Rain
Thunder and Heavy Rain
Thunder and Light Rain
Electrifying Thunderstorms
Rain on window
Thunder and Bird Trills
Rain Alley
Water Frogs
Big River
Streamside Songbirds
Jungle River
Crickets and Water
Waterfall
Rainforest
Bird Songs
Twilight
Crackling Fire
Songbirds
Turkey Talk
Pleasant Beach
Ocean Relaxing Surf
Sparkling Water
Bubbling Water
Airplane
Ocean Waves
Campfire
Blizzard Wind
Heavy Hail and Rain
Wind Blowing Leaves
Countryside Waterways
Download it now and start feeling better by improving your health, waking up gently, and falling asleep faster.
In today’s busy world, all of us are becoming increasingly aware of the effects stress can have on our minds and bodies. This is why finding new and innovative ways to overcome anxiety and to relax has never been more important.
Our advanced Widex Moment Sheer™ hearing aids can help you regain your inner peace with a great new world of relaxing sounds, called Widex SoundRelax. This unique feature is designed to help all hearing aid wearers – with or without tinnitus – deal with anxiety, soothe the mind and boost concentration.
Users rate Widex SoundRelax very highly
SoundRelax is the proven solution for hearing aid wearers who are looking for sounds that help relaxation, well-being, and concentration. In a recent study, 20 participants with and without tinnitus rated the new sounds. They listened to each sound over headphones for at least 10 minutes and then rated them for how well they liked them and to what extent they supported relaxation, concentration and general well-being.
The results, illustrated in this figure, are striking: While not every hearing aid wearer likes every sound, the mean ratings of listeners’ favorite sounds are around 9 out of 10, which is very high for something so personal as taste in tones and soundscapes. (The diamonds show the mean rating and the whiskers +/- 1 standard deviation.)
Calm your senses with the unique fractal tones of Widex SoundRelax
The term ‘fractal’ was first used by the mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975 and describes geometrical shapes that contain unfolding levels of detail as the viewer zooms in. Similar shapes can be found in nature including river forks, coastlines, mountain ridges, leaf veins, and clouds. SoundRelax and our Zen tinnitus treatment are based on fractal mathematics to generate changing, soothing tones and meditative chimes that become familiar but never repeat themselves and so relax the mind.
The use of meditative sounds and calm, relaxing music to relieve stress is well-known. It is believed to be effective at reducing stress because it stimulates many different parts of our brain. Music is commonly used at celebrations, sporting events, in shopping malls, movies and TV advertisements to evoke pleasant emotions. However, research has shown that recorded music can evoke memories and potentially unpleasant emotions. Fractal sounds prevent such unwanted distractions because they incorporate the properties of music that have been proven to be most relaxing without sudden changes in tonality or tempo. They repeat enough to sound familiar and follow appropriate musical rules but vary enough to not be predictable.
For more information about how Widex SoundRelax can help you relieve the stress of daily life contact your nearest hearing care professional using our quick and easy online Shop Finder. If you or a loved one might be living with untreated hearing loss, our free 5-minute online Hearing Test gives an initial indication.
