One guide for each thing you need from sound
Each guide starts from a need, names the sounds and breathing patterns that help, cites the research, and gives the settings. Every sound is in Mindael, free on the App Store.
Sounds for ADHD: Brown Noise, White Noise and What Actually Helps You Start
Why steady noise helps an ADHD brain settle into a task, what the 2024 meta-analysis of white and pink noise found, and the brown noise setup our listeners use.
Affirmations and spiritual practiceMorning Affirmations: How to Write Ones That Work, What the Research Says, and a Five-Minute Morning Practice
Morning affirmations, from the research: why values work better than slogans, when positive statements backfire, how to write your own, and a morning practice.
Anxiety, stress and panicCalming Music for Anxiety: What to Play, How to Breathe and How to Come Down from a Spike
Calming music for anxiety: what the research says works, the sounds to play, the breathing to run under them, and a five minute routine for a spike or panic.
Baby and child sleepWhite Noise for Babies: How to Use It Safely for Newborns, Toddlers and Older Kids
White noise for babies and newborns: what the research found, how loud is safe (50 dB at the cot), where to put the speaker and when to fade it out.
Body scan, NSDR and yoga nidraBody Scan Meditation: How to Do One, Where NSDR and Yoga Nidra Fit, and What the Research Shows
Body scan meditation, step by step: a twenty-minute scan from feet to head, how NSDR and yoga nidra relate to it, what the research shows, and the sound to use.
BreathingBreathing Exercises for Anxiety, Sleep and Focus: The Ones That Work
Deep breathing for anxiety, box breathing, 4-7-8 and the physiological sigh, with the research behind each, the counts to use and the sounds to pair them with.
Coding and technical workCoding Music: What to Play While You Code, Debug and Review, From the Research
Coding music, from the research: why lyrics hurt reading code, when music you like helps, the sound for writing, debugging and review, and how loud to play it.
DreamsVivid Dreams: What Causes Them, Why You Remember Them, and a Calmer Night
What causes vivid dreams: REM rebound, alcohol, stress, medication and waking in the night. Why you remember them, and a steady, quiet night-time setup.
Energy, chakras and reikiChakra Meditation: The Seven Centres, a Tone for Each, and What Is Actually Known
Chakra meditation, honestly: the seven centres in the tradition, the solfeggio tone paired with each, a fifteen-minute practice and what the research covers.
FocusFocus Sounds for Deep Work: What to Play When You Need to Concentrate
Which background sounds help you concentrate, what studies found for brown noise, beta beats and ambient noise, and how to run a focus session that holds.
Headache and migraineStress Headache Relief: Why Tension Headaches Happen and What Actually Eases Them
Stress headache relief that holds up in research: water, slow breathing, a dark room with low steady sound, a released jaw, and when to see a doctor.
Highly sensitive peopleHighly Sensitive People: What the Trait Is, What the Research Found, and How to Use Sound to Turn the World Down
Highly sensitive people, from the research: the trait's four features, the brain findings, why noise hits harder, and how steady sound turns the world down.
Manifestation and the law of attractionLaw of Attraction: Is It Real? What the Research Supports, What It Does Not, and a Practice That Works
Law of attraction, honestly: the claim, what research supports (goals, process visualisation, gratitude), what it does not, and a ten-minute practice.
MeditationMeditation Sounds: Theta Beats, Singing Bowls and Tones That Hold a Session Together
Sounds that deepen a meditation session: what a 6 Hz theta beat does within minutes, how singing bowls affected mood, and how to build a 20 minute sit.
Morning and waking upAlarm on My Phone: How to Set One That Wakes You Up Well, and Why the Usual One Leaves You Groggy
Alarm on my phone: how to set it on iPhone and Android, which alarm sound wakes you with less grogginess, what snoozing really does, and how to fix mornings.
Nervous system and vagus nerveNervous System Regulation: What It Means, What the Vagus Nerve Does, and How to Do It Daily
Nervous system regulation explained: what dysregulation is, what the vagus nerve measurably does, and the daily practices (breath, sound, cold) that work.
Noise masking for sleepNoise Cancelling for Sleep: Why Headphones Cannot Cancel Snoring, What Masking Does Instead, and the Setup for Traffic, Neighbours and a Partner
Noise cancelling for sleep, honestly: why cancellation misses snoring and doors, what masking does instead, and the setup for traffic, neighbours and a partner.
Pets and dogsMusic for Dogs: What Sounds Actually Calm a Dog, What the Research Found, and How to Use Them at Home
Music for dogs: what kennel studies say about classical, soft rock and reggae, why steady noise helps on fireworks night, how loud is safe, when to see a vet.
PomodoroPomodoro Timer and Technique: How to Use It So the Work Actually Gets Done
How the Pomodoro technique works, what the research says about timed breaks, the settings that suit deep work, and which sounds to run under a 25 minute block.
RelaxRelaxing Sounds for Anxiety and Stress: What to Play When You Need to Come Down
Calming sounds that research links to lower anxiety, from theta binaural beats and 528 Hz to rain and brown noise, plus a 15 minute routine for a hard evening.
SeasonsAutumn Relaxing Music: The Sounds for Darker Evenings, the Clock Change and the Rainy Season
Autumn relaxing music and sounds for darker evenings: rain, a slow ocean, soft noise, what the clock change does to sleep, and a cosy evening routine.
SleepSleep Sounds That Help You Fall Asleep Faster and Stay Asleep
The sleep sounds research supports, from pink and brown noise to delta binaural beats and rain, with the volume, timer and speaker settings that make them work.
Sleep through life's changesPerimenopause and Sleep: Why Sleep Changes in the Menopause Transition, What the Research Says Helps, and a Night-Time Setup
Perimenopause and sleep, from the research: why night waking, hot flushes and early waking increase, what helps most, and a cool, quiet night-time setup.
Study and learningClassical Music and Studying: What the Research Actually Says, and What to Play Instead When It Does Not Help
Classical music and studying: the Mozart effect myth, when background music helps and when it hurts, and the best sounds for reading, maths and memorising.
Tinnitus and soundSound Therapy for Tinnitus: What the Research Says, the Mixing Point, and the Sounds That Make Ringing Easier to Live With
Sound therapy for tinnitus, honestly: what the research and guidelines say, why the sound should sit just below the ringing, and which sounds help at night.
Travel, jet lag and napsHow Long Should a Nap Be? Naps, Jet Lag and Shift Sleep, with the Sounds That Help
How long should a nap be? 10 to 20 minutes for alertness, 90 for a full cycle, and avoid 30 to 60. Plus jet lag, shift work and the sounds that help you nap.
Work and the officeFocus at Work Music: The Sound for an Open-Plan Office, a Home Desk and a Deep Work Block
Focus at work music, from the research: why nearby speech hurts, why steady sound beats songs in an open office, and the setup for home and deep work blocks.
Writing and creative workMusic for Writing: What to Play While You Write, What the Research Says, and When to Switch to Steady Sound
Music for writing, from the research: why lyrics hurt, when upbeat music helps ideas flow, why a café hum boosts creativity, and the sound setup for drafting.
Yoga and movementYoga Music: What to Play for Flow, Stretching and Savasana, and Why Tempo Matters
Yoga music, from the research: why tempo changes your breathing, what to play for flow, slow stretching and savasana, how loud, and when silence is better.
Looking for one sound? Browse the sound library. Choosing an app? See the comparison checklists. All articles are in the blog.