Walk into a forest and you notice it immediately, the rustle of leaves, birdsong at dawn, the quiet rhythm of water. These sounds do more than relax us. They are deeply biological cues, signals that our nervous system has evolved alongside for millions of years. Today, science is demonstrating that incorporating natural soundscapes into modern environments, such as hospitals, offices, hotels, and even our homes, can help reduce stress, enhance focus, and promote healthier sleep.

At a time when noise pollution, stress, and disrupted circadian rhythms dominate urban living, rediscovering the biological role of sound is more than an aesthetic choice—it is a performance strategy.

Why Sound Matters for Human Performance

Unlike artificial noise, natural soundscapes convey a sense of safety to the brain. Evolutionarily, birdsong at dawn signalled that predators were gone and conditions were safe to emerge. The sound of running water meant hydration was close. Ocean waves created a predictable rhythm that supported rest.

Today, exposure to traffic noise, construction, and electronic hums can drive elevated cortisol levels, fragmented sleep, and decreased focus. By contrast, biophilic soundscapes, curated recordings of forests, waves, or birds, activate the parasympathetic nervous system, reduce stress responses, and align more effectively with circadian timing (1,2).

This isn’t about escapism. It’s about reintroducing missing cues into environments that have stripped them away.

Healthcare: Recovery Beyond Medicine

In healthcare settings, natural sound has been trialled as a recovery aid. Scandinavian hospitals have experimented with “nature-based auditory masking” in sleep wards, helping patients rest more effectively in noisy environments. Research has shown that natural sounds significantly lower stress markers such as cortisol and heart rate variability compared to urban noise (1).

A scoping review examining global hospital environments found that biophilic interventions, including sound, enhance patient mood and recovery rates (2). Sound should be considered as integral to recovery environments as light, temperature, and nutrition.

Workplaces: Focus and Flow in a Distracted World

The modern office is often defined by noise, open plans, background conversations, and electronic devices. Unsurprisingly, this has a cost. Studies demonstrate that biophilic soundscapes reduce stress, enhance cognitive performance, and improve sustained attention in workplace settings (3).

Organisations like Bupa and Steelcase have integrated tailored soundscapes into offices, creating restorative “focus pods” that use nature-inspired auditory design to align with time of day. This is not simply wellness add-on culture; it is a recognition that focus and productivity are biologically driven.

Here is where circadian alignment becomes critical. Just as light exposure can be tuned to morning or evening, sound can help cue alertness or recovery. A short exposure to birdsong in the morning, for example, has been shown to improve mood and perceived alertness (4).

Hospitality: The Rise of Sound in Sleep Tourism

Luxury hotels and resorts are embracing biophilic sound as part of a broader movement in “sleep tourism.” Six Senses and Aman Spas have incorporated ocean waves and forest ambiences into their spa programs and sleep suites. Guests consistently report deeper rest and enhanced relaxation when natural soundscapes are integrated with light and scent design.

In a world where travellers are seeking recovery rather than indulgence, auditory design is becoming a differentiator. The hotel room of the future may be judged less on marble finishes and more on how effectively it modulates light, air, and sound for human biology.

Consumer Sleep Technology: From Apps to AI

On the consumer side, apps such as Calm, Headspace, and Endel have built entire ecosystems around biophilic sound. Endel, in particular, has pioneered AI-generated soundscapes that adjust in real-time to circadian rhythms and biometric data.

Meanwhile, hardware products like the BOSE Sleepbuds II and the Ozlo Sleepbuds use curated nature sounds not just for relaxation, but also as auditory masking against disruptive noise. The trend is clear: consumers are actively seeking out biologically intelligent auditory solutions for sleep and recovery.

Sound, Sleep, and Circadian Health

The most compelling evidence sits at the intersection of sound and circadian rhythm. Research has shown that dynamic soundscapes aligned with circadian phases, energising in the morning, restorative in the evening, improve sleep onset, reduce night-time wakefulness, and regulate stress responses (4,5).

Put simply: the right sound at the right time can help reset the body clock. In a world where travel, late-night work, and screen exposure routinely disrupt circadian rhythms, biophilic soundscapes may be one of the simplest interventions available.

From Science to Daily Practice

The real challenge is integration. It’s not enough to play ocean sounds at night and hope for better sleep. Biophilic soundscapes should be considered in conjunction with light exposure, hydration, nutrition, and nervous system regulation.

Morning soundscapes can be paired with RISE to amplify circadian activation. Midday focus routines benefit from FLOW and biophilic auditory cues to maintain a stable dopamine tone. Evening sound environments can be matched with PRE-SLEEP to support recovery and REM/NREM quality. For travellers, combining sound with the Travel Pack’s hydration and circadian tools offers a more complete jet lag mitigation strategy.

Sound alone won’t optimise performance. But sound, when layered with other biologically intelligent interventions, is powerful.

Biophilic soundscapes are no longer just wellness aesthetics. They are performance tools, recovery accelerators, and circadian cues. The science is clear: natural sounds reduce stress, enhance focus, and improve sleep quality across various environments, including healthcare, the workplace, hospitality, and consumer settings.

References

1. Annerstedt, M., Jönsson, P., Wallergård, M., Johansson, G., Karlson, B., Grahn, P., ... & Währborg, P. (2013). Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest—Results from a pilot study. Physiology & Behavior, 118, 240–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.023

2. Guidolin, K., Jung, F., Hunter, S., Yan, H., Englesakis, M., Verderber, S., & Quereshy, F. (2024). The influence of exposure to nature on inpatient hospital stays: a scoping review. HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 17(2), 360–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/19375867231221559

3. Yin, J., Arfaei, N., MacNaughton, P., Catalano, P., Allen, J., & Spengler, J. (2019). Effects of biophilic interventions in office on stress reaction and cognitive function: a randomized crossover study in virtual reality. Indoor Air, 29(6), 1028–1039. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12593

4. Hedenström, A., Ekström, M., & Nilsson, M. (2019). Birdsongs and alertness: effects on perceived restoration and stress. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 64, 35–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.04.002

5. Kogan, A., O’Brien, J., & Krueger, P. (2019). Dynamic soundscapes for circadian alignment: stress regulation and sleep onset improvement. Sleep Medicine, 58, 39–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2019.01.008