Parents rely on bedtime stories, soothing songs, and white noise to help calm their children before sleep. But while we understand the calming effect these rituals have on children, we often forget that adults, too, benefit immensely from ambient sounds to help them relax and fall asleep.
Introducing Sleep Cycle Podcasts: Your Gateway to Serenity
The Sleep Cycle Podcast channel extends the app’s popular Sleep Aid sound library, providing the ultimate escape from life’s chaos. Here, sleep stories and ambience guide you into a world of relaxation, where stress fades and peaceful sleep awaits.
Listeners can enjoy a variety of options:
- Music: Meticulously composed to ease your mind and senses, this symphony creates a blissful ambience, perfect for relaxation.
- Relaxation and Meditation: Useful for day and night, guiding you through relaxation techniques and restoring balance.
- Ambience and Spatial Audio: Immerse yourself in the therapeutic embrace of nature’s symphony, featuring rustling leaves, calming water, and soothing wind chimes.
- Sleep Stories: Delivered in a calming voice, these meticulously crafted tales are designed to lull you into deep slumber, guiding you into tranquility.
Who are Sleep Cycle Podcasts for?
The new Sleep Cycle podcast channel, now available on Apple Podcasts, is a game-changer for individuals seeking a little extra help in unwinding and finding tranquility before sleep. This offering comes with a Premium subscription, enhancing the overall sleep experience for users. Existing Sleep Cycle Premium users who subscribed via App Store gain full access to the podcasts automatically.
Why Do Some People Need Noise to Sleep?
Why can’t some folks sleep without a fan humming or the sound of rain? There’s real science behind it! Studies have shown that background noise has calming effects on adults because the sounds act like a shield, blocking out disruptions and helping our brains slip into a relaxed state. As humans, our brains are hard-wired to respond to sounds by perceiving them as threatening or non-threatening. To relax, we need to be surrounded by sounds that encourage the resting activity of the brain.
What Sounds Improve Sleep Quality?
Which background noise to use (if any) comes down to personal preference. But sounds found in nature have a more soothing effect on us than artificial sounds.
Water sounds—rain, ocean waves, a babbling brook—are particularly conducive to sleep. Why? According to researchers, it has to do with our survival instinct. Loud noises that come out of nowhere alert us to danger. On the other hand, the rhythmic hum of water is something we perceive as non-threatening and therefore has a calming effect. Water sounds such as rain or ocean waves can even masque other noises around the house that we don’t want to hear.
Color noises
Sleep Cycle users from around the world prefer water sounds, also referred to as pink noise. These noises mimic the calming outdoors, encouraging deep relaxation and sleep. A deeper rumbling version of that is what is referred to as Brown noise; a low-frequency rumble similar to that of heavy rainfall which provides a gentle backdrop for rest. White noise, at a higher, yet stable frequency, mimics consistent sound like a fan, and masks sudden noises, ensuring a peaceful sleep.
Music, guided meditations, and sleep stories
From boosting serotonin levels to reinforcing a bedtime routine, music is also shown to have a positive effect on sleep. According to the Sleep Foundation, music can decrease the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and improve our sleep efficiency.
Over the years, Sleep Cycle has collaborated closely with certified sleep coaches and musicians to create guided meditations and stories that ease stress and relieve anxiety, and music that takes the listener on a journey, using familiarity to instill a sense of safety and harmony for emotionality.
Finding your Preferred Sleep Sound
With the launch of Sleep Cycle Podcasts, finding your ideal sleep-inducing sounds has never been easier. Embrace tranquility, relax your mind, and let the soothing sounds guide you into a peaceful slumber, night after night. Sweet dreams await with Sleep Cycle App’s new podcast channel.
About Apple Podcasts
Apple took podcasts mainstream more than 15 years ago, helping inform, entertain, and inspire hundreds of millions of listeners worldwide with gripping stories and fresh perspectives. Apple Podcasts is the best place for listeners to discover, enjoy, and support their favorite podcasts, featuring millions of shows in more than 100 languages. Listeners can browse recommendations curated by local experts, explore personalized recommendations based on their listening, follow shows to automatically download and be notified of new episodes, and listen seamlessly across their devices.
With Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, listeners can also unlock premium audio experiences, including early access, extra episodes, and ad-free listening. Apple Podcasts is available for free in over 170 countries and regions on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, CarPlay, iTunes on Windows, Amazon Alexa, and other smart speakers and car systems. More information is available at apple.com/apple-podcasts.
