Hum Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Forget counting sheep -- many people prefer listening to lions roaring and monkeys calling to help them nod off, according to a new survey. The poll, which questioned 2,000 adults in the U.K. about falling asleep at night, found that birds twittering and rainforest noises are the most soothing sounds for one in five people at bedtime, with fewer than one in 10 relying on counting sheep to send them into slumber. "One thing these noises do is stop intrusive thoughts," John Shneerson, President of the British Sleep Society and consultant at Papworth Sleep Center in Britain, told Reuters. "These are normally worries about the previous day, or worries about tomorrow -- any active thoughts that prevent people from drifting into sleep. A semi-repetitive noise like wind blowing or waves crashing, which has an occasional rhythm change, works by distracting you. The sound can't be too boring but should not be so stimulating that you actively think about it -- it has to be something in the middle," Shneerson said. A lot of people find listening to these noises useful in getting to sleep, although this has not yet been thoroughly researched, he said. While the relaxing properties of natural sound may not come as a surprise, noises generally considered to be irritating, such as passing traffic and ticking clocks can also be soporific, according to the survey. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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