Pavlov’s Rain

Even though my apartment isn’t exactly in a noisy neighborhood (read: a block over from a warehouse district), I still get a fair amount of ambient noise from the LIE, plus there’s always roommates about watching TV or making it with their various fuck-buddies. So, I’ve started playing nature sounds on a loop at night to help me sleep.

I find it immensely relaxing. I have this one clip of a lake at night that I find very soothing — you could swear that you were at a lake house in the middle of the Maine woods. Whenever I play it, I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders. Living in a city is somewhat stressful; you’re around people all the time, even if you’re just standing in line, on the subway, . Even the just illusion of being completely alone for miles around relaxes me. (The kicker is that if I really were all alone at a lake in the middle of the woods, I’d go completely crackers after about two days of rural solitude.)

I’m also very fond of a clip of a thunderstorm at sea: waves crashing, rain pouring down on the water, and thunder cracking. I put that one on and I’m asleep in seconds.

In fact, I’ve developed a bit of a Pavlovian response to the sound of heavy rain. It makes me very relaxed and very sleepy. Which would be a good thing, except that it’s 10 am on a Monday morning. It’s pouring rain outside. And I’m at work, trying desperately not to nod off on my keyboard.