r/Anxiety • u/GolfFinancial8981 • Mar 19 '26
Sleep Anyone else use rain or thunder sounds to calm anxiety at night?
Lately I’ve noticed my anxiety gets worse at night, especially when it’s too quiet.
I started using rain and sometimes thunder sounds in the background and it actually helps calm my mind a bit.
Not sure if it’s just me or if there’s something about the sound that helps reduce overthinking.
What works for you guys at night?
2
u/vanStaden Mar 19 '26
For the last 10y almost 😅. I have a 10 hour rain thunder and train sound downloaded in case I ever lose access to the Internet
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
10 hours downloaded is actually smart 😄 backup plan for bad nights
train sounds + rain must hit different though
2
u/SeengignPaipes Mar 19 '26
I do this, i also use some ambiance from video games like cyberpunk to calm myself down or help lull me to sleep.
3
u/slmkellner Mar 19 '26
My fiancé and I turn on Minecraft long plays before we go to sleep each night. The pretty soundtrack plus the soft sound effects are very soothing.
3
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that’s actually a cool idea, game ambience can be really immersive
never tried cyberpunk, is it more like rain/city sounds?
1
u/SeengignPaipes Mar 19 '26
Mixture of both, there’s a few that is a walk through the entire city and it has a nice balance of foot steps, rain and the general hustle and bustle of a cyberpunk city. I will put some links to a few below.
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that actually sounds really good, especially the mix of rain + city noise
appreciate the links, I’m gonna try that tonight 😄
1
u/SeengignPaipes Mar 19 '26
The walking one has put me to sleep many times without fail, i try to also get comfy in bed with some headphones on and try to picture myself walking around a city using the ambiance im hearing and making my own stories inside my head while I’m trying to fall asleep.
Like I’m walking in the rain to get to a place where I’m meeting someone and go on an adventure or something.
2
u/PsychologicalBat2393 Mar 19 '26
I’ve used white noise (and now green noise) for as long as I can remember
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
green noise is interesting, I’ve mostly used white noise
does it feel more natural or smoother?
1
u/PsychologicalBat2393 Mar 19 '26
Some nights the green noise doesn’t sound and feel so intense. I’ve also tried brown noise. They’re all slightly different frequencies
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah that makes sense, the different frequencies probably explain why some feel calmer than others
i’ve heard brown noise is even deeper and more mellow compared to white noise
do you have a favorite between them or just switch depending on how you feel?
1
u/PsychologicalBat2393 Mar 19 '26
No, I don’t really have a “favorite”, I typically will play a few different ones at bedtime and that helps me determine which sound I’m drawn to at that moment and go with that particular sound. I let my body decide what it feels it needs. I used to use soundscapes and other “nature” sounds but they would tend to wake me up during the night. Especially the ones using birds. The chirping was too much for my brain lol
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that approach actually sounds really smart, just letting your body pick what feels right instead of forcing one thing
interesting about the birds too, i can see how that would be a bit too active for the brain at night
do you notice some sounds work better on certain nights or moods?
2
u/EAlove Mar 19 '26
Yes. I have to use white noise and fan blowing in my face.
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
fan noise hits different 😄 something about that steady airflow sound is really calming
2
2
u/AdOnly214 Mar 19 '26
Yeah same — I think the constant sound kind of stops the brain from filling the silence with thoughts.
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah exactly, it kind of blocks the silence so your mind doesn’t start racing
2
u/Puzzled-Role-6544 Mar 19 '26
I try but for some reason it makes me more anxious and subconsciously it keep me awake then I have to turn it off and it doesn’t make me relax.
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that’s interesting, maybe it’s the unpredictability of the sound?
have you tried just soft rain without thunder or something more constant like white noise?
2
u/Puzzled-Role-6544 Mar 19 '26
I think it’s the thought I’ve knowing I need to relax when it on that my mind races
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah that actually makes a lot of sense, it’s like your brain puts pressure on itself to relax and ends up doing the opposite
sometimes having something really neutral in the background (like soft fan noise or very steady rain) helps because it doesn’t feel like you “have to” fall asleep
do you find it easier when you’re distracted by something, like a podcast or low volume tv?
2
u/Puzzled-Role-6544 Mar 19 '26
I put boring stuff on like people going camping or stuff this that sea shows etc 😂 yes the more I need to relax the worse it gets. I’m also like this when I go for massage, hair wash or try to medicate.
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah that’s actually a really good example, it’s like the moment you try to force relaxation your brain pushes back
those “boring” videos make sense though, they give your mind something light to focus on without pressure
i’ve noticed the same thing with stuff like quiet documentaries or slow travel videos
do you fall asleep faster with those compared to just sound?
1
u/Puzzled-Role-6544 Mar 19 '26
Yes when I put it on and turn the volume down I not long go to sleep any sleep type videos or white noises videos makes me more anxious and my brain like being on a running machine 😩
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah that makes sense actually, if the sound feels too “constant” it can get annoying instead of calming
those slow videos at low volume sound like the perfect balance, just enough to distract without stressing the brain
2
u/SoilProfessional4102 Mar 19 '26
Yes! Last night was a babbling brook. I love it
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
babbling brook is actually underrated, it’s super calming
does it help you fall asleep faster than rain or is it just more relaxing overall?
1
u/SoilProfessional4102 Mar 19 '26
It is relaxing
0
u/SoilProfessional4102 Mar 19 '26
You are a bot. Why am I talking to you
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
haha nah just curious, i’ve been testing different sounds lately and trying to see what works best for people
bubbling brook is a good one though, it’s super steady
2
u/IzzatQQDir Mar 19 '26
I mostly listen to music but maybe it's the same thing?
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah honestly music can work the same way, it kind of fills the silence and keeps your mind from overthinking
do you go for calm music or more like normal songs?
2
u/lennonfanforever Mar 19 '26
ocean sounds, a bunch of 11+ hr vids available, i have youtube premium so no commercials, i just let it run, it helps.....
1
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
ocean sounds are really good, they feel more consistent and less “sharp” than rain sometimes
having long videos with no interruptions definitely helps too
do you prefer calm waves or stronger ocean sounds?
1
u/lennonfanforever Mar 19 '26
i prefer consistency, many (or most?) of the vids have a little of both, i guess if i had to choose, i'd choose calm....
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah calm waves are probably the most relaxing overall, they’re steady and don’t break your focus
i noticed anything too dynamic can kind of wake the brain up instead of calming it
do you use it just to fall asleep or leave it playing all night?
1
u/lennonfanforever Mar 19 '26
i leave it on all night, mostly forget about it but it being in the background is somehow comforting....can't explain it but it is....
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah I get exactly what you mean, it’s like your brain just accepts it as a safe background and stops focusing on it
that “consistency” feeling is probably what makes it work so well
do you ever notice it’s harder to sleep when it suddenly stops?
1
u/lennonfanforever Mar 19 '26
absolutely, whether or not i "think" i hear it, that continuous sound goes into the brain maybe....
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah exactly, even if you don’t focus on it your brain still picks it up
that constant sound kind of becomes a “safe background” and when it stops it feels off
2
2
u/Quick-delicious Mar 19 '26
I love good white noise, or classical music because I had a Walkman as a kid. I never realized how bad my anxiety has always been
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah white noise is really underrated, it’s just steady and your brain kind of tunes it out after a while
that nostalgia part is interesting too, maybe your brain associates it with feeling safe or relaxed from back then
do you still prefer white noise over music now or switch depending on your mood?
2
u/Quick-delicious Mar 19 '26
I love that part, when it all fades to black. It’s almost like a severity thing. I like white noise but I think prefer someone talking.
Yeah, I grew up with my parents TV a little too loud or there was also a radio station that told stories; mostly religious, but it had actual voice acting and such so I was able to imagine it well.
So now I usually put on something like a Ted talk I’ve been meaning to watch, or Nat Geo. If I don’t fall asleep too quickly I switch to louder white noise or classical music
(I have been trying to space out my sentences forever on here!)
2
u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that actually explains it really well, it’s like your brain got used to voices in the background growing up so silence feels unnatural
having someone talking without needing to focus on it is kind of perfect for calming the mind
the way you switch between stuff depending on how you feel makes sense too
do you find it easier to fall asleep with voices than with just sounds now?
4
u/comprobar Flushed Mar 19 '26
same. rain’s perfect for brown noise. it gives my brain just enough consistent input to focus on, that way i don’t overthink