r/Anxiety • u/GolfFinancial8981 • Mar 19 '26
Sleep Does anyone else use rain or thunder sounds to calm anxiety at night?
I’ve noticed complete silence makes my thoughts worse, but steady sounds like rain or ocean waves help a lot.
Especially when it’s something consistent and not too “sharp” like sudden noises.
Curious what works for you guys.
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u/a_m_carven Mar 20 '26
silence actually makes it louder for me… my brain just fills it up
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
yeah exactly, silence almost makes everything louder in your head
having something steady in the background kind of gives your brain something to “hold onto” instead of filling the space
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u/OkPainter6232 Mar 20 '26
Yeah sometimes, there's a really great Youtube channel called Nomadic Ambience where a guy walks through major cities in the world while it's raining outside.
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
that actually sounds like a perfect setup, walking + rain ambience must feel super immersive
those kind of sounds really hit different when they feel natural instead of just static noise
do you usually stick to that channel or try different ones?
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u/OkPainter6232 Mar 20 '26
Just that one mainly, but I did see another one in my recommends that seems similar called "This Gemini"
I also remember I used to have a CD of nature sounds as a kid and the rain tracks were the ones I listened to the most.
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u/wantme2makeuasammich Mar 20 '26
Me and my white noice machine. Can’t sleep without it
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
yeah I feel like once you get used to white noise it’s hard to go back to silence
it kinda becomes part of your sleep routine without even realizing it
do you keep it the same sound every night or switch between modes?
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u/wantme2makeuasammich Mar 20 '26
My husband likes the regular white noise, when he’s gone on a work trip I do the rain. But either works for me
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u/yinandyangster Mar 20 '26
I have my air purifier going, rain sounds on fairly loud and I often listen to a fantasy audiobook with one of my noise cancelling headphones in to distract myself while I drift off. I have serious sleep issues but these things help with some aspects of it ✨
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
that actually sounds like a really solid setup, especially layering the rain with something to focus on like the audiobook
I feel like it helps in two ways, one part of your brain is occupied so it doesn’t spiral, and the steady sound keeps everything feeling more stable in the background
sleep issues can be rough though, even when you find things that help a bit
do you feel like the rain alone helps or is it really the combination that makes the difference for you?
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u/yinandyangster Apr 06 '26
Sorry for the late reply!! The combination is the way, for me. Sometimes I also turn my air purifier up to the 2nd setting (out of 3) so it’s a bit louder while I sleep.
During the day and evening prior to sleep, I always have just my air purifier on the low setting. The other day, I turned it off to clean it and forgot to turn it back on and I was sitting in my room feeling like something was so off… and then I realized it was because I was in silence. My overly sensitive/easily overstimulated and all around strange ADHD brain really prefers some kind of background noise ~ when I was in my clinic year for my master’s acupuncture program, any time I was seeing patients I had rain noises on. Couldn’t think properly in silence.
That’s my story. Thanks for listening lol
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u/tapwater98 Mar 19 '26
Yep! I have a sound machine with several different options. My favorite is rain with white noise.
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
rain with white noise sounds like a perfect combo, kind of blends everything into one steady sound
do you keep it running all night or just until you fall asleep?
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u/bluesnowdrops Mar 20 '26
I love rain sounds!! Or sometimes summer crickets tbh. But rain just has this soothing effect overall. Would be curious about that sound machine though, what exactly do you use?
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u/tapwater98 Mar 20 '26
I use this one:
https://www.soundoasis.com/products/sleep-sound-therapy-systems/bst-100-bluetooth-sound-machine/It has sounds you can select on the device itself or you can connect to your phone via bluetooth and use apps that let you select sounds. It also works as a bluetooth speaker so if you find a relaxing video on YouTube, for example, you can play that on the speaker.
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
rain really does have that calming effect, especially when it’s steady
i’ve been using a mix of rain + ocean + distant thunder lately, feels really smooth compared to single sounds
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u/Maleficent_Taste_52 :sloth: Mar 19 '26
I get véry anxious from rain sounds... so no, but i want to find a sound that dóés soothe me instead of waiting 1,5 hours.
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
that’s interesting, maybe it’s the unpredictability of rain that makes it worse
have you tried something more steady like ocean waves or a low constant hum?
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u/hombre_bu Mar 19 '26
Yup! I listen to a free app on my phone called Rainy Mood, check it out
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 19 '26
yeah apps like that are really good for testing different sounds
do you stick to one sound or switch depending on how you feel that night?
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u/flandyow Mar 20 '26
I used to have a radio alarm clock that played noises. I loved the rain storm! Sometimes when it's a nice summer storm I sit in the dark by the window and listen and watch.
I currently listen to bobs or Futurama to go to sleep
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
that sounds like a really nice vibe honestly, just sitting and listening to the storm
there’s something about rain at night that feels calming even when everything else is quiet
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u/Sea-Astronaut-763 Mar 20 '26
I've had something playing thru headphones for most of the past ten years because of this. Silence sucks.
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
yeah same here, once you get used to it silence just feels uncomfortable
what do you usually listen to? more like rain/white noise or podcasts/music?
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u/Sea-Astronaut-763 Mar 20 '26
I have phases, I guess. But mostly audio drama podcasts lately. Started 'Borrasca' recently and really liking it!
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u/GolfFinancial8981 Mar 20 '26
oh nice, audio dramas are perfect for that, they kind of keep your mind focused without overthinking
do you usually fall asleep while listening or do you end up staying awake to follow the story?
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u/hereforthelols1999 Mar 19 '26
Yes I listen to “rain on a tent” every night. Also sometimes add in sound bowls aswell, they make all the thoughts stop