Sleep made simple with Sleep Orbit
- Gabi Bellairs-Lombard
- May 17, 2017
- 2 min read
Have you ever found that you are absolutely exhausted and so ready for sleep, but then your mind is aflutter with every thought on planet Earth? I have.
Also, I know this is a largely 'fitness' oriented blog, but health falls under this category too. And sleep is healthy. So there.
What we as humans need to become better at is prioritising sleep. I know that sleep is literally the center of my world (along with food and wine) so I make sure I get enough of it, heavy workload or not. But I understand this isn't the case for everyone, for whatever reason, whether you stay up really late or are an insomniac. The key for getting enough rest is by having a consistent routine.
I recently downloaded an app called Sleep Orbit, which helps you curate your own sounds from their provided collections that will help lull you to sleep. I tried it out last night for the first time and it is SO effective! I like gentle sounds of water, waves, and rain, but if you like thunderstorms and whispering sounds then you have that option too. You have the option of over 100 sounds to listen to that will quiet your mind and send you to sleep.
The reason why I found this useful is because my brain tends to go crazy the moment my head hits the pillow. I get tension headaches and end up rolling around my bed trying to get comfortable. This app redirected my focus and, 10 minutes in, I felt like I was in another world. The app lets you set timers of when you want the sounds to stop playing, and by the time I opened my eyes to put my phone and earphones away, I felt like I was somewhere else. It is magical how simple sounds of nature have the ability to transport you elsewhere.
According to Orfeu Buxton, a biobehavioural professor at Pennsylvania State University, these sounds having a drowsing affect on us because they are considered "non-threats" and work to calm people. In comparison, loud alarms are screaming sounds are regarded as threatening and are almost impossible to ignore. Aside from the volume of these sounds, the "character of a sound [...] can trigger the brain's so-called threat-activated vigilance system and jolt us from slumber." More information about why sounds of nature calm us can be found in this article.
So, for those who struggle to fall asleep, I highly recommend this app. It made me feel incredibly relaxed before closing my eyes for the rest of the night.
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