Humans have always reacted to sounds, some sounds trigger a heightened sense of alertness and some give comfort or a sense of inner peace. Read more about how this works and how it affects our recording techniques that are essential for the products offered by SleepAid records.
Why It Works

Why It Works

To fall asleep you have to set yourself up for a relaxed state of mind. This is required in order to fall asleep, and the better you do this the better your chances are for a good nights rest and a pleasant tomorrow. People are different, and we all have individual behavior patterns for how to fall asleep, but they all share the same goal in how to get you to enter a relaxed pre-sleep state of mind. Sounds plays a very important part in priming your brain for this, and it is very likely that you are more receptive to one sound over another. So in order to guide you to the sound that is right for you, you should read below about the 3 basic concepts of Genes, Rhythm and Thought Redirection, but remember that they occasionally blend in to each other creating a combination that is very hard to resist...




It's in your Genes

It's in your genes

You are already prewired to take advantage of sounds for sleep and relaxation. Living in the modern world we tend to forget or ignore what the generations before us have done to shape our behavior. Certain reactions to certain events that we may not be fully aware of or have difficulties explaining make us react. Rain, as an example, has always prompted a kind of a timeout for people, causing a natural pause in work and everyday activities, giving us a reason to relax. When rain starts to fall, the sound of it falling on a window or a rooftop; indoors, warm and secure, the people around you and you yourself become subdued in various degrees, a yawn not far away. You are on the verge to enter pre-sleep mode. It just works that way, take advantage of it - it's in your genes.




Rhythm to calm down

Rhythm

Ever since you where a kid, rhythm has been a factor for you to be able to calm down and fall asleep - the gentle rocking in the arms of a parent, a soft patting on your head, the soothing melody in a lullaby - it's still in you, just waiting to be triggered again. All of our sounds emphasize rhythm but in somewhat different shapes; rain finds its rhythm in its natural irregularity, oceans and streams in their peaceful steadiness, train rides and our other mechanical sounds provides it with a mesmerizing, but gentle beat. The quality of our recordings contain the rhythm of the object, be it a falling water drop or a train wheel against the rail, it almost seems like a physical presence.




Thought redirection

Thought blocking through thought redirection

Thought blocking through thought redirection is a description of what helps you concentrate on something other than your everyday problems and struggles, blocking thoughts that will hinder you from entering a relaxed state of mind so crucial in making you fall asleep. This is something that kids use frequently and without any training, the adventure of going to bed, the feeling of security under that magical blanket that maybe makes them invisible, ready for a journey to places far, faraway. The mind drifts and sleep enters. Many adults have lost the ability to flex their imagination as vividly as kids do, and have difficulty redirecting those pesky issues that always seems to float to top of their mind when trying to fall asleep. Sounds can help in getting your mind occupied with pleasant thoughts, making you relax and maybe put a little color back into your dreams.




The golden curve

The Golden Curve

The Golden Curve is, simply put, our way to make sure that you are able to fall asleep to our sounds and absolutely not wake up because of them. It can be described technically as how we define the substance and quality of sound over a period of time. In order to do this we utilize special recording techniques (see below) that results in a relaxing sound from start to finish that complements your sleeping experience. No surprises, just a calming progression with a natural variation.




About our recordings

About Recordings

We take great pride in our techniques for capturing the ultimate sounds for sleep and relaxation, but they are not always easy to get and very often they present a challenge in both time and endurance. Our sounds are recorded all over the globe, allowing us to choose the right environmental conditions which will yield those characteristics that hold true to the sound we are striving for.




Napping sessions

Napping Sessions

Take Five whenever you need. Napping is important for good health but it is an art form and can be a very difficult one to master. The most difficulty can be found when trying to relax enough to fall asleep, which is enhanced by a worry that you won't wake up in time. With our Napping Sessions we have designed soundtracks based on our most popular sounds, in timed increments. You can choose from four lengths of time, and be woken up by a gradual and smooth alarm. A personal time zone of relaxation in balance with a pleasant awakening - all in time for that meeting.




Tinnitus relief

Tinnitus relief

Around 25% of the world's population suffers from tinnitus, while approximately 2% have cases so severe it interferes with daily life. There are no clinically proven cures as of today, but there have been studies done showing that sounds of water, for many patients, totally eliminates or drowns the Tinnitus to a high degree for fast relief. Sounds of rain or streaming water have been proven to be helpful for many.




Sound versus the pill

Sounds Vs The Pill

There are people who have legitimate reasons for using pills to get to sleep, but these days many people use them just because they cannot get to sleep and don’t really consider the health concerns that pills can pose. Using sounds is a side effect-free alternative to pills, using a naturally occurring phenomenon to gently move you into the realm of dreams. Also, on an a positive note, sounds can also lead to a conditional reflex, meaning that when you hear that kind of sound it allows you to fall asleep more readily.




Related reading

Related reading

What follows is a collection of articles that we have found that are interesting for those who want to read more about sleep. Along with the articles, we have provided a short summary of each article. The articles that follow are not directly related to us or our products, but can offer advise if you, a family member or a friend has difficulty resting, relaxing or falling to sleep.




Why sleep is important and what happens when you don't get enough

The importance of sleep and some of the factors that are involved in not being able to sleep are talked about in this... article. These problems include working habits, strenuous activity before bed, and stress. These problems can be caused from various different sources, like finishing a presentation just before bed and staying up because of it, exercising just before bed or worrying about a family member that is in the hospital. Problems that arise from not getting enough sleep are also brought up in the article. Among the problems are decreased short-term memory, inhibited decision making skills, and falling asleep at the wheel of your car in the most extreme cases.

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Sleep: a necessity, not a luxury

In this article, the overall health of the individual and how sleeping well benefits it is discussed. It explains why sleeplessness... occurs and places them into two categories: situational sleeplessness and sleep disorders. Situational sleeplessness includes things like stress or depression which can keep you awake. Sleep disorders are things like insomnia, sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. Both of these can bring on healthmissues like cardiovascular health problems for people with sleep apnea or heart problems because of the body's reduced ability to regulate glucose, which arises from not sleeping enough.

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With the economy down, sleeplessness is up

This article talks about how economically troubling times keeps people from sleeping the amount of time that they probably... should be. However, the article says that because of the loss of sleep you become less productive at your job which could lead you to losing your job. The article notes that the number of Americans who have reported sleep problems has increased by 13% since 2001. In the article, the author comes to the conclusion that you should be sleeping more and exercising so you can remain healthy through this tough time.

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Anatomy may help identify sleep apnea

In this article, a discovery made by a team at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea regarding... sleep apnea is discussed. The team used sleep video fluoroscopy to find the cause behind sleep apnea,and found that those people with the problem had soft palates at the top of their mouths. Additionally, they found that those patients who merely snored and did not have sleep apnea did not have these soft palates on the tops of their mouths.

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Are you sleep deprived?

Discussed in this article is sleep deprivation and some of the ways that you can tell if you are getting enough sleep during... the night. The author of the article says that there are two questions that you should ask yourself sleep. The first one is if you feel drowsy during the day and the second one is if you are able to get to sleep within five minutes of lying down in bed. The author says that one of the hallmarks of not getting enough sleep is microsleep. These very small naps last for only a few seconds, and it is probable that you wouldn't remember that you slept for such a short period of time. The author also says that even though caffeine and stimulant drugs can make you feel not tired, they are only a temporary solution, meaning that eventually you will need to go to sleep.

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Sleep Hygiene Rules

In this article, a short list of rules is outlined on how to make your bedroom a better environment to sleep in and to prepare yourself... for going to sleep. It describes things like not working or watching TV in your bedroom. Aside from the normal things, it also says that you should only try to go to sleep when you are feeling tired, and if you are unable to get to sleep within 25 minutes of trying to get to sleep you should leave the room and try again later.

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Medical residents lack sleep, despite policy change

Despite a policy passed to limit the number of hours per week and at a stretch worked by medical residents, they are still working... too many hours with not enough sleep. The number of residents that worked 30 or more hour shifts numbered 57%, down from 80% before 2003. There is a federal law in the U.S. that limits the amount of time that high-risk professionals like airline pilots and nuclear facility workers are allowed to work, but doctors have been left to monitor times and themselves.

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All about sleep

In this article, sleep as viewed when talking about children and teenagers is explored as well as how it should be approached for... them. At the beginning of the article, the author explains how babies tend to sleep and how much time they usually spend sleeping during the day and the night. It continues to preschool aged children and then all the way to pre-teen and finally teenaged children. The article also provides tips for how to get them to sleep at every age group.

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Sleep & Men

The specific hazards and reasons for sleep loss in men is discussed in this article. The author points out that men are more... likely than women to go through life with sleep deprivation because they think that it shows how hard they are working. Men are also less knowledgeable about the risks that can come from chronic sleeplessness, and tend to go through life thinking that feeling sleepy all the time is normal. This article also brings up some reasons for why men are sleepy to begin with, like working too much overtime, picking up the kids from their after-school activities or simply watching TV with their buddies.

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Sleep & Women

The effects of sleep loss for women and the reasons why they might lose sleep are covered in this article. Studies have... shown that women sleep more than men on a usual basis because they go to sleep earlier than men do. However, women usually sleep lighter than men, meaning they are more easily woken up by sounds and they also are more likely to wake up not feeling refreshed. Another factor is that working women have to balance friends, family, work, and personal health which makes also makes stress a large factor in their inability to get to sleep, and when they are asleep, makes them feel as though it were an inadequate amount of sleep.

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