Becca Balint: Natural sounds soothe the mind and heal the body – Brattleboro Reformer

By Becca Balint

Several inches of powder made for a slow trip up the hill behind my rental house in Montpelier yesterday. Quite winded at the top, I paused for a minute before I turned onto the larger trail and remained silent while the dogs burrowed their snouts in the snow piles. I heard the snowflakes falling on my parka’s sleeves and shoulders, and the wind caused branches high above me to creak and moan. My breath and footfalls beat out a soft, steady rhythm as I made my way through the forest. I’d headed into the woods at dawn to find quiet to soothe my busy mind, but the sounds of the forest calmed me, too. I wanted to understand why.

Studies have long indicated that there are health benefits that come from spending time in nature. Exposure to natural environments and their sounds have been shown to improve post-operative recovery and to reduce pain and anxiety for those in hospice care. Other recent research has linked exposure to natural environments to symptom relief for a variety of health issues like heart disease, depression, cancer, anxiety and attention disorders.

Danielle Shanahan, research fellow at the University of Queensland in Australia, was the lead author on a 2016 study that found regular “doses” of nature can be an important measure to help prevent anxiety, depression, stress, and heart disease. Shanahan and her team found health improvements for study participants who spent time in natural environments for as little as 30 minutes each week.

Shanahan believes that a new regimen of regular outdoor exposure could show real financial savings. “If everyone visited their local parks for half an hour each week there would be seven per cent fewer cases of depression and nine percent fewer cases of high blood pressure,” she said. Shanahan asserts that savings in the health care system could be substantial: “Given that the societal costs of depression alone in Australia are estimated at $A12.6 billion a year, savings to public health budgets across all health outcomes could be immense.” Shanahan told a Time magazine reporter, “If everyone were to make time for nature, the savings on health care costs could be incredible.”

Cassandra Gould van Praag, lead author of a study conducted at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) in the UK, set out to understand why natural environments have such positive effects on our bodies and minds. Until Praag’s study, there was no scientific consensus as to how these effects come about. Now we know that playing `natural sounds’ affects the bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic nervous systems. Praag’s team also found associated effects in the brain’s resting activity.

Participants listened to sounds recorded from natural and artificial environments, and brain activity was measured in an MRI scanner. Their autonomic nervous system activity was then monitored through small changes in heart rate. The team discovered that brain activity in the default mode network (areas which are active when we’re resting) was different, depending on the sounds that participants heard. While hearing natural sounds, the brain connectivity showed an outward-directed focus of attention; artificial sounds elicited an inward-directed focus of attention, similar to brain states observed in those experiencing anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder or depression.

As I finish this column, there’s a faint pink hue on the horizon. Although the thermometer reads 13 degrees, I’ll slip on my boots and take the dogs up the ridge once again. I’ll listen deeply to the sounds around me and know that my mind and body are healing as I walk. But most importantly, I’ll revel in the subtle beauty and feel myself relax.

Becca Balint writes from Brattleboro on history, politics and culture. She currently serves as Senate Majority Leader in the Vermont Legislature. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of the Brattleboro Reformer.