One of the things I often need at the end of the day is to go to my room, shut the door and sit in absolute silence. No music, no Netflix, no scrolling reels on my phone even. Preferably no other humans in the room.
I assumed I needed to do this because I was an introvert (though anyone who knows me thinks I'm an extrovert, so maybe not.) However, it turns out, there is a surprising science behind why I need a bit of peace and quiet, particularly when stress becomes too much.
How stress affects the body
Most of us know stress isn't good for us but just how bad it is surprised me.
High levels of stress and chronic stress can cause all sorts of short-term and long-term issues including:
Upsetting your digestive system, giving you heartburn and/or acid reflux
Increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Give to diarrhoea or constipation
Cause your muscles to tense up
Giving you a stress headache or migraine
Affect your menstrual cycle
Weaken your immune system over time
Damage blood vessels
Result in insomnia
Increase blood pressure
So, if you suspect 'stress is making me ill,' you are probably right.
There isn't anything it doesn't try to destroy along with your life. Makes you think we should all try and give it up.
How stress affects the brain
Along with trying to slowly and painfully kill us, stress also tries its best to mess with our heads.
Our decision-making skills
Anxiety levels
Our moods and behaviours
How to Manage Stress with Silence
Research has shown that silence releases tension in the brain and body in just 2 minutes and can help create new cells in the hippocampus. So, if you’re looking for how to avoid stress, this is the place to start.
In 2006, a group of researchers decided to look into the effects of silence. They compared the effects of silence on the body and mind to listening to music. To test the effects they chose 12 different types of music which were played for just 2 minutes and then 4 minutes with a 2-minute pause for silence.
The study found silence reduced participants’ heart rate and blood pressure. In fact, it was lower than before they started the experiment (i.e when participants were around everyday sounds.)
Music, on the other hand, activated the brain. The level of brain activity depended on the tempo. More lively tracks activated the brain more and slower meditative music (think spa break) had a more relaxing effect. But the most relaxing effect of all was when there was a pause in the music altogether. In other words, when there was complete silence. When it comes to how to avoid stress, silence has a physical impact on the body and mind.
Another study carried out in 2013 found even more shocking results. Two hours of silence a day could create new cells in the hippocampus. The Hippocampus is linked to our ability to remember things, learn new things, and reduce stress.
Researchers monitored a group of mice who were, again, exposed to different sounds. They looked at the brain activity of mice when they heard standard noises (that they would expect to hear in a house), white noise, the call to a baby mouse, Mozart’s Sonata for two pianos in D major (for the sophisticated mice out there), and to silence.
The proportion of neurons increased to 62% in the silence condition from 57% when exposed to everyday noises. In other words, silence increased the development of new neurons in the brain. In fact silence had more of a positive effect on neuron development than natural sounds - like when they tested for a mother’s call to her mouse pup.
The ability to develop new neurons is thought to be important for helping us to adapt to change. Change is well known to cause stress. However, stress also limits our ability to develop new neurons. It’s a bit of a vicious cycle really. However, if we can get two hours of silence a day it can help us break the stress cycle and not only help us destress but allow our brain to better manage stress overall.
How can you stop stress with silence?
The benefits of silence are pretty amazing. I hadn't realised that quiet time could have a physical effect on the body and mind. Two minutes of silence I can just about manage to incorporate (if I get lucky) but two hours of silence is a lot trickier. It got me thinking of ways we can all get a little more quiet time in.
Here are some practical ideas for how to avoid stress by incorporating silence into your day:
Try laying in bed and enjoying 2 minutes of silence before you go to sleep at night, or before you get out of bed in the morning.
Enjoy your morning coffee on your sofa or in your garden/on your balcony rather than listening to the news.
Go for a walk and leave your earphones at home.
Opt for reading a quiet book in the evening rather than watching TV.
Make time for meditation or prayer in your day.
Try practising yoga, running, or going for a bike ride without music.
