We are always surrounded by sounds. But literally, always. The harsh sound of the alarm in the morning, the coffee machine, sounds during our working day, traveling home and even when we want to chill out we put on some relaxing music. But research shows that if you truly want to relax your brain, you should cut it some slack and seek for real silence.

As we’ve written before: even everyday sounds can damage your hearing. So you can probably imagine that exposure to continuous city noises, loud music or other sounds can be linked to some serious health issues. Not just for the ones among us that are sensitive to noise, but everybody who’s often exposed to loud sounds – highways, airports, big cities – can end up suffering from sleeping troubles, heart problems, high blood pressure and – no surprise – hearing damage. Not good…

Aaaah, silence!

On the other hand there is also scientific research that suggests that long lasting and regular exposure to silence could result in less stress and even health benefits. And they’re talking about real silence here. So no chirping birds, ‘sounds of the ocean’ or a playlist called ‘calm and focussed’. But real, pure silence. Nothing.

In the last years it has been proven many times that the power of that kind of silence can calm us, help us listen to our inner voice and help us to connect better to nature and others. In fact, researchers say certain forms of health damage could even be neutralised by silence and some scientists think it could help renew our brain cells.

Feel the need

Kind of makes sense, right? Another fact is that we all feel the need to seek silence more and more. Especially since it is hard to find real peace and quiet in our busy lives. Meditation, yoga and retreats are more populair than ever. Step by step we are realising it is important for our mental and physical health to zoom out, be quiet and unwind sometimes.

So it’s time to start looking for silence more often, don’t you think? After a long day of work, try not putting on your ‘calming playlist’ but just plug in some ear buds, find a meditation room or take a walk through the nearest forest. Or you could try to look for a place like these: The most quiet places on earth