Forest sounds for sleep: what's in the scene and how to use it
Updated October 3, 2026 · Sources: Messineo 2017 · Papalambros 2017 · Riedy 2021 · Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
Short answer
6 sounds
Atmosphere · Singing birds · Noisy birds · Rainy trees · River · Spring alone — each with its own volume, closest in character to pink noise. Unlockable scene.
General information from population studies (NIH, CDC, NSF, AASM). It is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician who knows you.
White 0 · pink −3 · brown −6 dB per octave — definitions adapted from Wikipedia "Colors of noise", CC BY-SA 4.0 · as of October 3, 2026
What is in the Forest scene
| Sound | Character |
|---|---|
| Atmosphere | ambient bed |
| Singing birds | textural, intermittent — keep low |
| Noisy birds | textural, intermittent — keep low |
| Rainy trees | broadband, pink-to-brown |
| River | broadband, pink-to-brown |
| Spring alone | ambient bed |
Of the six, 3 are steady beds and 2 are textures or events. The scene is an in-app unlock, and like every scene it runs offline with the timer.
What the research shows about sound and sleep
The Forest scene is built from six recordings you can mix at your own levels. In character it sits closest to pink noise — equal energy per octave; deeper and more even than white (steady rain, wind through trees). The research on sound and sleep is modest: one small lab study found broadband sound helped people fall asleep about 38% faster, while a 2021 systematic review rated the overall evidence as low quality. Use sound to cover unpredictable noise and to give an anxious mind something steady to rest on, not as a cure.
How to use it tonight
Start with atmosphere alone at a low level, add one textural layer, and leave the intermittent sounds (singing birds, noisy birds) off or very quiet at night. Set the timer to 30 or 45 minutes so the sound stops after you are asleep.
Sources
- Colors of noise — Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Broadband Sound Administration Improves Sleep Onset Latency in Healthy Subjects in a Model of Sleep Onset Insomnia — Frontiers in Neurology 8:718, 2017 (Messineo L. et al.)
- Acoustic Enhancement of Sleep Slow Oscillations and Concomitant Memory Improvement in Older Adults — Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 11:109, 2017 (Papalambros N.A. et al.)
- Noise as a sleep aid: A systematic review — Sleep Medicine Reviews 55:101385, 2021 (Riedy S.M. et al.)
General information from population studies (NIH, CDC, NSF, AASM). It is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician who knows you.