The sound of waves is considered the most soothing for people to fall asleep and Britons spend 37 minutes listening to them to nod off, according to some latest research.

Finding by a sleep expert reveal that millions of Brits now listen to nature tapes with wave sounds and soft music to help them doze off.

Natural sounds help us sleep

The traditional sleeping method, which involves counting sheep, is being blown out the window with the survey arguing that it takes on average almost 40 minutes a night to get to sleep, with many of us turning to noise in a bid to drop off.

The research found that 20% say noises from nature help them to fall asleep with favourite sounds including birds tweeting and the rainforest. The most soothing sound was the sound of waves with 11% of Britons listening to it before bed which was followed by 9% who preferred soft music, 8% who found wind relaxing and 6% voting the sound of a ticking clock.

A few 4% of those surveyed said that late night radio helped them to drift off but the most popular method was still reading in bed- which equated to 45%. Interestingly, 10% claim that a chat with their partner soon has them falling asleep!

The study also discovered that 11pm is the most common time for going to bed and Brits sleep on average of 6 hours and 49 minutes per night.

Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley said: “Listening to sounds you like helps the brain ‘tune out’ other more disruptive sounds, so you get a better night’s sleep.

“Noises from nature, which tend to provide a continuous, familiar sound which you don’t have to actively listen to, can be particularly helpful.”

So if you are struggling to nod off, why don’t you try one of these sleep inducing methods or simply go to sleep on one of The Odd Mattress Company‘s quality, super comfy handmade mattresses.

Featured Image Credit: iStockphoto.com / shannonstent (Via Custard Online Marketing)