How Silence Benefits Your Brain: Hitting Refresh

Have you noticed that when you wake up and just sit by the window with a cup of coffee instead of scrolling on your phone, the rest of the day seems to go better? You may feel more calm and comfortable. This is because of the silence accompanying this activity. If we were to ask someone what the most relaxing part of their day is, most would choose a moment they spend in silence. In our packed, fast-paced routines, we have forgotten about the importance of taking a minute to sit in silence. Whether it’s jumping on a work call while driving or chatting with a friend while doing the dishes, we are drawn to multitasking and maximizing productivity.

Does this sound familiar? While the details may vary, many of us spend each day scrambling to complete to-do lists and going at full speed. We want to do well at our jobs, spend time with loved ones and friends, and raise our children right. Even when we do take a short break in the day, we often pick up our phones and browse content instead of letting our minds clear. Being in silence is not just about being in a place with minimal external noise. It’s about the noise of the thoughts inside our heads.

How Noise Affects Our Brains

According to nautil.us, sound waves lead to the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. Studies have shown that these invisible waves vibrate the bones in your ear and transmit to your cochlea. This is where sound waves turn into electrical signals for your brain to process. Even when in deep sleep, your body reacts to these signals. In particular, noise first activates the amygdala, which is located in the temporal lobes of your brain and is associated with memory formation and emotion. Once activated, the amygdala promotes the release of cortisol. This is why people who live in loud places often experience greater stress.

Benefits of Silence

There are many benefits you gain from making time for silent moments in your life. Some are as follows:

• Relieving stress by lowering cortisol levels
• Lowering blood pressure
• Improving sleep
• Improving concentration and focus
• Improving memory
• Promoting neurogenesis, helping with dementias and depression

Spending time in silence can help facilitate neuron development. Spending two hours of silence a day can lead to new neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with memory. The default mode network of the brain is activated when we engage in what scientists refer to as “self-generated cognition,” such as daydreaming, meditating,  or just letting our minds wander. Preliminary findings suggested that silence could be therapeutic for conditions like depression and Alzheimer’s, which are associated with decreased rates of neuron regeneration in the hippocampus. In silence and environments with lower levels of sensory input, the brain can restore its finite cognitive resources.

Ways to Be in Silence

Spending time in silence can just mean doing everyday activities while leaving your electronics behind. Here are some examples:

• Doing the dishes without your phone or earphones
• Taking a walk without your earphones
• Looking out the window 
• Eat a meal at the table without electronic devices

You can also take up hobbies such as:

• Drawing in a physical sketchbook
• Sowing seeds in starter pots for your garden

Conclusion

Silence has a powerful healing effect on our overstimulated bodies and minds. This isn’t to say that everyone needs to sit in silence for 2 hours every day. No one has that kind of time. But it is important to spend a few minutes with minimal external and internal noise, ideally at the start and end of our day. This habit can be very beneficial for our overall health in the long term.