Calming Sounds
Mix multiple sounds and a sleep timer
Smart AI mix
Pick a mood — AI builds a soundscape mix for you.
Binaural beats
Headphones requiredTwo close frequencies, one per ear, create a beat perceived by the brain that's linked to different mental states.
Sleep timer
Select a sound first
Why sound helps
Masks the startle
Steady broadband sound narrows the gap between background and sudden noise, so a door or a car doesn't jolt you awake.
Slows the breath
Wave and rain rhythms sit near six breaths a minute; people unconsciously entrain their breathing to them.
Marks the boundary
The same mix at the same hour becomes a conditioned cue that it is time to stop working or sleep.
Keeps focus cheap
Non-lyrical sound occupies the part of attention that otherwise chases distractions.
The science, briefly
Continuous background sound works mostly by masking: it raises the noise floor so intermittent sounds no longer cross the threshold that triggers arousal. Trials of broadband noise in sleep-disturbed environments show shorter time to fall asleep, and controlled studies of nature sound consistently find lower self-reported stress and faster recovery of the parasympathetic system than urban noise or silence. The differences between colours of noise are mostly spectral: white is flat, pink drops 3 dB per octave and sounds softer, brown drops 6 dB and reads as a deep rumble.
How to build a mix
- 1
Pick one base layer — rain, ocean or brown noise — and set it as the loudest element.
- 2
Add at most two accents, such as distant thunder or a soft drone, well below the base.
- 3
Set the volume just above the noise you are masking; louder is not better and hurts over hours.
- 4
Choose a timer: 30–45 minutes for sleep onset, or the whole session for focus work.
- 5
Save the mix so tomorrow's cue is identical — the repetition is what makes it a signal.
Practical notes
- ✦Keep long-session listening near 50 dB — about the level of a quiet fridge.
- ✦For sleep, prefer a speaker over earbuds; in-ear pressure over eight hours can irritate the canal.
- ✦Brown noise suits low-frequency neighbours (traffic, footsteps); pink suits voices and TV bleed.
- ✦Avoid lyrics and melody when studying — both compete with verbal working memory.
- ✦If tinnitus is your reason for listening, a level just below the ringing works better than drowning it.
Which sound for which situation
| Sound | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Brown noise | Blocking traffic and bass | Deepest tone, least fatiguing at length |
| Pink noise | Voices, TV, office chatter | Softer than white; common in sleep research |
| White noise | Broad masking, newborn rooms | Bright; keep it quiet and short |
| Rain | Winding down, reading | Irregular enough to stay interesting |
| Ocean waves | Slow breathing, panic recovery | Natural 6-per-minute rhythm |
| Binaural / drone | Focus blocks | Use headphones; skip if it feels jarring |
Personal preference beats theory. If a sound annoys you, it will not relax you no matter what the label says.
Common questions
Is it safe to sleep with sound all night?+
At a low level, yes for most people. Keep it around 50 dB, use a speaker instead of earbuds, and set a timer if you wake easily in the second half of the night.
White, pink or brown — which is best?+
Brown for low-frequency intrusion, pink for speech and television, white for broad masking. Most people find brown and pink easier over long sessions.
Do binaural beats really work?+
The evidence is mixed and effects are small. They are pleasant focus scaffolding, not a treatment — and they need headphones to work at all.
Can I mix several sounds?+
Yes. Layer one base plus one or two quieter accents, then save the mix so you can recall the exact same cue tomorrow.
Does it play offline?+
Once a sound has been played, it is cached by the app, so saved mixes keep working without a connection.