Sleep is one of the most mysterious bodily states. It is speculated to be important for recovery, the immune system, and learning. While the functions of sleep remain not well understood, one thing is clear: sleep is essential for survival.

Many people suffer from poor sleep. They may have trouble falling asleep or they wake up in the middle of the night and are not able to go back to sleep.

Sleep hygiene i.e. controlling behavioral and environmental practices that affect sleep, may provide relief. Sometimes relaxing is the key.

One thing that naturally aids falling asleep is calming white noise. It soothes the mind and helps to fade out nagging thoughts or surrounding noise. Whether you are looking for a way to fall asleep quickly or to calm down for a power nap, free white noise can help.

Here is a collection of six pages that provide different types of free white noise and music for better sleep and relaxation.

RainyMood

RainyMood features a 15-minute high-quality loop of various types of free white noise including gentle rain sound, accompanied by thunder and chirping birds. The site recommends to combine the free white noise with your favorite music, which indeed works very well.

White Noise 24/7

This website offers more than just “a random signal with a flat power spectral density“, i.e. free white noise. You can playback nature sounds, e.g. a flowing river or hard rain, and mechanical sounds, including a washing machine and ventilator. Some of the free white noise can also be downloaded, which is very convenient in case you don’t want to go to bed with your iPod, rather than your computer running all night.

WhiteNoisePlayer

For those of you suffering from Tinnitus or annoying sounds from the outside, free white noise may provide a major relief. At WhiteNoisePlayer you can choose from eight different sounds, like the radio, crickets, or wind and play them indefinitely.

SoundSleeping

SoundSleeping lets you  create your own relaxing sound mix. You can pick from four controllers with nine natural sounds each and a fifth controller with four music sounds. For each controller you can individually adjust the volume. A “How To” explains what the different sounds are good for and what steps you can take to sleep better in general.

Last.fm – Absolute Sleep Music Radio

You can also create a relaxing mix on Last.fm or listen to a dedicated station. This station contains soothing tunes and sound collections that can help you relax. Since the tracks change every few minutes, the station is probably less suited for falling asleep. However, it’s excellent background material for Yoga or Tai-Chi.

NapSounds

Finally, if it’s not sleep you desire, but a short and refreshing nap, give NapSounds a try. You can replay the tunes online or download and listen to them on your favorite mp3 player. Choose from electronic, classic or nature background music or sounds and nap away.

Would you like to nap with music from your iPhone? Check out Jackson’s articles on 9 iPhone Apps To Help Soothe You To Sleep and Sleep Better & Re-Energize On The Go With Pzizz For The iPhone. He also wrote Sounds To Help You Sleep, Relax, Concentrate Or Wake Up!.

What helps you to fall asleep peacefully?

Image credit: qudbyesai