Though largely considered to be a pseudoscience, negative ion generators are used to treat various conditions, including stress-related problems, which may account for this association. More nebulously, it’s also possible that the negative ions which are generated when large quantities of water molecules collide – which occurs in waterfalls and waves as well as during rainfall – may contribute to rain causing positive feelings. Whereas sunlight increases our serotonin levels, making us happier and more energetic, the gloominess caused by rain clouds tends to instead increase production of the sleep-regulating hormone melatonin. Therefore, the scents of rain – notably petrichor, the smell of rainfall on dry earth (a word coined in the 1960s) – evoke positive associations that connote safety and security.Īnother simple reason that rain may cause sleepiness relates to light. Smells are processed by the olfactory bulb, which has direct connections to the amygdala and the hippocampus: the areas of the brain “most strongly connected to emotion and memory formation”. A 2016 study cited by Healthline suggests that “odor-evoked memories are more emotional and evocative than memories triggered by our other senses”. However, rain has the advantage of activating our other senses too, particularly that of smell. As with the sound of rainfall, it filters out other, higher, more distracting sounds, thereby reducing sleepers’ brain wave complexity. Tellingly, pink noise (or 1⁄f noise) – so named because visible light from the same power spectrum appears pink – has been touted for its use in sleep therapy. According to doctors, stimulation from monotonous rhythms like rainfall can “calm nerves, cure insomnia and make listeners sleep deeper”.Įmily Mendez, a mental health writer and former psychotherapist, suggests that its “regular, predictable pattern” is interpreted by our brains as being “a calming, non-threatening noise”. Science Info states that the sound made by the impact of falling rain is an example of “quiet noise”, which is classified as falling within the low frequencies of those that humans can hear, which range from 20 to 20,000 hertz (Hz). Dense rain over trees in the rainforest.Reassuring soft rain in the rainforest of Costa Rica.But is the reason as simple as nostalgia for rainy childhood camp-outs or cozy school breaks spent inside during wet weather? A proliferation of ‘rain sounds for sleeping’ apps and playlists suggest there may be more to it… We shouldn’t need studies to prove that the sound of rain makes us sleepy, because it’s likely that we’ve had this experience ourselves.
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