Close your eyes and imagine a calm, relaxing scene. What can you hear? Maybe the soft patter of rain, the rumble of thunder, the sloshing of damp mud, the distant gunfire of World War I fighter planes… No, you haven’t transferred your ‘good night’ mix to your ‘zombie -breakout’ playlist. Some people really use the ‘battlefield ambiance’ to fall asleep.
If “trench warfare” doesn’t come to mind when you hear the word “relaxation,” you might be as surprised as TikTok user blusoho when she discovered her husband napping to the sounds of warfare. Even the best mattress couldn’t help most of us drift off with this kind of noise in the background. But while this viral video has shocked a corner of the internet, there is some logic to this unexpected sleep routine.
@blosoho Like how???? 😭😭
The repetitive rumbling that defines many of these war atmosphere videos bears some resemblance to more traditional white noise. Add to that the soothing feeling of familiarity—thanks to childhood video game playing—and you have one of the most surprisingly popular sleep trends (“battlefield ambiance” brings up pages of hits on YouTube). Let’s see what exactly happens when you turn off the lights and ramp up the trench warfare…
Why can battlefield atmosphere help someone sleep?
When it comes to going to bed, we tend to choose activities that are relaxing and familiar. Admittedly, for most of us, these terms don’t describe the noise of a World War I battle. But they are reminiscent of cuddling with a familiar book and the soft music from your childhood bedtime routine. And while it sounds strange, this is largely what happens for those who enjoy the battlefield atmosphere.
Speak with NewsweekBlusoho, creator of the viral TikTok that exposed the trend, explains that her husband played video games as a child. War games, in particular. When he starts up ‘WWI Distant Battle Ambience’, it doesn’t remind him of war. Instead, it reminds him of pleasant days at his childhood home – a much more relaxing thought.
I could see the logic behind this, but at first I wasn’t entirely convinced that any amount of happy associations could make the battlefield atmosphere relaxing. Then I listened to it. And to be honest, I kind of get it. While I won’t be playing this one before bed, the repetitive, rumbling sounds are more cinematic than scary. There was even a heavy rainfall – one of the favorite white noise sounds for sleeping. If I hadn’t known there was a battle atmosphere, I might have thought it was a thunderstorm in a busy city.
All kinds of sounds can be relaxing before bed, from steady rain to sizzling bacon, and what works for one person might not work for another. I can’t sleep from the birdsong, as I discovered when I tested the Groov-e Serenity Sound Machine, but others find that endless tweeting and chirping can put them to sleep. And while I never liked fighting games as a kid, the Crash Bandicoot soundtrack has an unexpected sleep-inducing effect. So it is perhaps not surprising that the rumble of a battlefield at the turn of the century is a signal of relaxation for some.
That means the next time you’re having trouble falling asleep, instead of asking yourself “what’s relaxing to do?”, think about what’s most familiar to you. You never know, you might come across that Dinosaur forest or Zombie apocalypse is exactly what you need to start snoring again.