ABOUT OUR AUDIOS

Bedtime anxiety soother sessions are designed to 'wash over' you while you lie in bed, preparing for sleep. You can engage with them as much or as little as you choose. The soothing voice and soft music will naturally help you relax and let go. 

Anxiety soothers rise and fall in volume and tone and include subtle emphasis on certain words and phrases with the music, to give a hypnotic and sedative effect. (HCA - see below)

They work beautifully well for people with sleep and nighttime anxiety, because they distract attention away from: negative thoughts, rumination, catastrophising thoughts and a critical inner voice.   

Bedtime anxiety soother sessions are highly relaxing.

Guided sleep meditations will help you feel more relaxed and ready for sleep. They guide you through anxiety-reducing techniques which will help you reduce stress and tension throughout your mind and body, through positive and soothing verbal encouragement. Guided sleep meditations incorporate meditative techniques, such as focusing your attention on the present moment, away from stress and anxious, jumbled thoughts that crowd your mind at bedtime and ultimately prepares you to drift off into sleep. 

Guided sleep meditations are highly relaxing too.

Guided sleep visualisations are very similar to guided sleep meditations, but encourage your imagination to help you 'see' scenarios, places and images in your mind's eye, taking you on an imaginary journey that only you can 'see'! While you are engaging in this imaginary world, a relaxed state is created and anxious thoughts are reduced. 

Guided sleep visualisations incorporate meditative techniques, ultimately encouraging you to drift off into sleep. They are highly relaxing, although for those with Aphantasia, (the inability to voluntarily visualise mental images in our mind's eye) they are less likely to be effective. 

ASMR: Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response sounds are highly subjective! e.g., whispering, hair-brushing, movement of wooden beads, crinkling paper, plastic, tapping or scratching. Many people find that certain sounds give them 'tingles' and/or cause them to drift into a meditative and calmed state. READ MORE

However, for some people, e.g, those with Misophonia disorder (having a decreased tolerance to specific sounds) certain ASMR sounds might have the opposite effect.  

These aren't for everyone, but when you find some that help, enjoy them! 

At Sleep Like a Log, we are developing a range of relaxation-inducing, long-play sound combinations to:

• mask intrusive, worrying thoughts that prevent you drifting off to sleep. 
• mask disturbing sudden changes in night-time sounds that cause sleep disturbance. 
• potentially help with ADHD symptoms - focus & relax Read more HERE  

We also add soft music or ASMR sound to some Soothing Sound episodes, to create an alternative ambience, more interest and added depth of sound. 

What types of sound do we use?

Ambient: These are general background noises around you, mixed sound, e.g. in a cafe, or garden, beach, ocean, forest, nature walk, meadow, campfire, cats purring etc

Pink Noise: Pink noise is almost the same as white noise, but it has reduced higher frequencies. Many people prefer pink noise as it can be experienced as more soothing and 'warmer' than white noise. Research shows that pink noise, played at a low volume, improves sleep quality and duration. 

READ MORE

Please note: if you are already experiencing hearing issues, this sound may cause mild ringing in your ears. Do not continue to listen if your hearing changes.

Brown Noise (or Brownian Noise): Brown noise has more output across the lower frequencies audible to the human ear; deeper and similar to distant rumbling thunder, waterfall, or wind. Brown noise can help with relaxation and improve sleep. Brown noise is less powerful than Pink noise. Play on a low volume: 60 decibels or less.

Some research shows that Brown noise can help with ADHD symptoms: focus and productivity during waking hours. 

READ MORE

Please note: if you are already experiencing hearing issues, this sound may cause mild ringing in your ears. Do not continue to listen if your hearing changes.

Green Noise: Green noise is a type of sound signal that is often described as a balanced, natural noise, resembling the soothing sounds of nature. It sits in the middle of the frequency spectrum and contains equal energy per octave, similar to white noise but with a more calming and earthy tone. Examples include the sound of running water, rustling leaves, or the gentle hum of a forest. 

READ MORE

Please note: if you are already experiencing hearing issues, this sound may cause mild ringing in your ears. Do not continue to listen if your hearing changes.

Binaural 'beats' are an auditory phenomenon that may promote relaxation and improve sleep quality. They occur when two tones of slightly different frequencies are played in each ear, creating the perception of a third, low-frequency tone. This perceived beat can influence brainwave activity, encouraging states associated with relaxation and sleep, such as theta (4-8 Hz) or delta (0.5-4 Hz) brainwaves. By aligning the brain's frequency with these calming states, binaural beats may help reduce stress, ease anxiety, and facilitate a smoother transition into restful sleep.

Key aspects of binaural sound include:

1. Two Microphones/Channels: Sound is recorded using two microphones placed roughly at the distance of human ears or simulated using specialized software.
2. Spatial Perception: Binaural sound captures directional cues like time delays and volume differences between the ears, allowing listeners to perceive the position of sounds (e.g, front, back, left, right, above, or below).
3. Headphones / Earbuds Required: To experience the full effect of binaural audio, it is best listened to through headphones, as speakers can interfere with the spatial illusion.
4. Applications: Binaural sound is not only used in sleep promotion, but also in virtual reality, 3D audio production, gaming, ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) meditations and immersive storytelling to create realistic soundscapes.

Some researchers have argued there is insufficient evidence linking binaural beats with lessened anxiety or improved sleep. Further research of binaural beats, particularly their effects on sleep, must be conducted.

We have a range of 'Sleep Shots' which use either Delta or Theta wave sound.

Below is more detail about what they are and why they might work for you.

• Associated with Deep Sleep: Delta waves are dominant during deep, restorative sleep stages. Listening to sounds in this frequency range can help induce a state of calm and promote restful sleep.
• Stress Relief: They can help reduce the physiological symptoms of stress and anxiety by encouraging your brain to slow down.
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• Relaxation and Meditation: Theta waves occur naturally during deep relaxation and light sleep (like during REM). They are also prominent in meditative states.
• Emotional Processing: These waves may help process unresolved emotional tension, which can be a source of anxiety.
• Improved Sleep Onset: Listening to theta frequencies might help your mind transition more smoothly into sleep by reducing racing thoughts.

• Timing: Listen before bed or as you're lying down to sleep.
• Volume: Keep the volume low, as these frequencies are intended to be calming, not overstimulating.
• Environment: Pair the audio with a relaxing environment, like dim lighting or a bedtime routine.
• Consistency: Use them regularly for better results over time.

While some studies support the calming effects of delta and theta waves, individual responses can vary. For some, other calming nighttime rituals paired with listening to these sounds may also contribute to anxiety reduction. Prolonged or inappropriate use could disrupt natural sleep cycles, making some people feel groggy or unrested.

Sleep Like a Log has developed a new way of combining music with hypnotherapy. 

HCA - Hypnotic Choreographed Audio means that the background music and voiceover recording have been edited in a choreographed way to create a greater hypnotic listening experience. HCA ensures that certain moments in the music e.g, chord progression, musical highlights, dynamics and cadences, are specifically placed to enhance and highlight certain phrases and words in the voiceover. When certain words and phrases are emphasized by certain moments in the music, more attention can be drawn to them and their significance is therefore implied. For example, our minds naturally understand final, or 'perfect' cadences in music. They suggest an ending of some kind. In Clare's voiceovers, these perfect cadences are used to suggest the end of a section in the voiceover. This gives the recordings natural beginnings, middles and endings throughout, to which, our minds connect and consciously and subconsciously respond. 

Sleep Hypnotherapy uses hypnosis techniques (e.g, breathing, relaxation and/or visualisation) to create full relaxation throughout your body, while keeping your mind focused. In addition, through hypnosis, you can be encouraged to allow your consciousness to release so that you can fall asleep. The 'therapy' part of hypnotherapy means that it is also designed to help with an issue, through positive suggestion or subliminal messaging. 

Please be assured that anything suggested to you during hypnosis, in contradiction with your will, moral, ethical and legal compass, will not be absorbed successfully and will be rejected by your mind - despite how it looks in stage hypnosis! 

The hypnosis techniques we use are highly sleepifying!