How Birdsong Can Help Your Mental Health
Hearing birdsong can help us feel less anxious, recover from stress faster, and even reduce muscle tension ... but can it help us fall asleep? Drew Ackerman of Sleep With Me podcast listens to recordings of birdsongs to see if it'll help with insomnia.
\n\nLink to episode transcript: https://tinyurl.com/5n7sxjtb
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Episode summary:
\n\nDrew Ackerman, aka Scooter of Sleep With Me Podcast, has always struggled to get to sleep. Even as an anxious kid, worries would keep his mind churning as the night wore on. For our show, he tried a science-backed practice for easing stress: listening to the twitter of birds. He discovered the recordings reminded him of easeful summer afternoons, transporting him to another time and place. The research bears this out: different sounds affect us in different ways. For many, birdsong lowers our body\u2019s stress responses. And for Drew, that helped him get a little sleepier.
\n\nPractice:
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- Listen to a recording of birdsong that appeals to you. \n
Today\u2019s guests:
\n\nDrew Ackerman You might know Drew as his alias, \u201cDearest Scooter,\u201d the host of Sleep with Me podcast. Drew struggles with bedtime worries and has a history of insomnia himself, but he\u2019s great at helping others sleep. Sleep with Me is one of the most listened-to sleep podcasts. On each episode, \u201cScooter\u201d lulls listeners off to dreamland with meandering bedtime stories intended to lose your interest.
\n\nListen to Sleep With Me Podcast: https://pod.link/sleep-with-me
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Follow Drew on Twitter: https://tinyurl.com/2p8nrhnp
\nFollow Drew on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestscooter/
\nFollow Drew on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sleepwithmepodcast/
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Emil Stobbe is a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Germany.
\n\nJesper Alvarsson is a professor of Psychology at S\xf6dert\xf6rn University in Sweden.
\n\nEleanor Ratcliffe is a professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Surrey in the UK.
\n\nMore episodes like this one:
\n\nThe Science of a Good Night's Sleep (Sleep Tips, With Drew Ackerman)\xa0- https://tinyurl.com/3wrwzrxy
\n\nWhy You Should Snap Pictures of Nature (Appreciating The Outdoors, With Tejal Rao) - https://tinyurl.com/erwdvwrw
\n\nRelated Happiness Breaks (a short, guided practice by The Science of Happiness)
\n\nRestore Through Silence, With Tricia Hersey - https://tinyurl.com/4h8ww8ub
\n\nFeeling the Awe of Nature from Anywhere, With Dacher Keltner - https://tinyurl.com/43v74ryn
\n\nTell us what sounds relax you! You can even send us a recording, we\u2019d love to hear it. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod.
\n\nHelp us share The Science of Happiness!
\n\nLeave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and share this link with someone who might like the show: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap