Besides stressing you out with constant reminders of all the tasks you still have to complete each day, your Amazon Echo can also help you find a moment of peace on your most hectic days. You can ask it to play relaxing sounds, the kind that almost make you want to close your eyes and imagine you're somewhere else on the planet. So with that in mind, we're going to share a series of commands so you can receive these sounds instantly.
What is a relaxing sound?
Every day we are relentlessly bombarded by all kinds of noise. Especially in the city, where we have to contend with the roar of car engines, screeching brakes, revving engines, banging, and honking horns from every traffic jam and anything else with a motor. It's a scene that practically begs us to get home as quickly as possible to completely disconnect and enjoy a small space of peace and relaxation, surrounded by the sounds we miss, sounds that are almost always those of nature.
Some people use these relaxing sounds to fall asleep, but don't think those are the only situations where it's advisable to embrace them. They're also beneficial in our daily lives at home, while cooking or doing laundry, and of course at the office, to gain a few moments of relaxation that help us concentrate better on what we're doing. So everyone benefits, but what are these relaxing sounds that are recommended to be listened to from time to time? Well, those that feature the sea, or the flow of river water, rain, or the wind rustling the leaves of a lush forest.
The key to all these sounds is their cadence, their rhythmic flow that produces a feeling of relaxation amidst the chaos of those strident acoustic explosions we experience daily. So, if you want to turn Alexa into a beacon of peace and harmony, you still have time to achieve it thanks to some skills that Amazon has made available. Here's how to get them… and activate them.
How to Put Relaxing Sounds on Alexa
To get Alexa to start playing relaxing sounds, we're going to use some skills developed by Sleep Jar , which include a large number of relaxing sounds almost always related to ambient effects, nature and in general, white noise that they call and that will help you, among other things, to fall asleep in a calmer and more relaxed way.
To play the sounds, we just have to ask Alexa with an extremely simple command, which is simply to say " Alexa, for sounds of… ", followed by the type of sound you want to hear.
Below, you'll find all the available options so you can enjoy your favorite soundscape. Remember to say " Alexa, play sounds of... " before selecting any of the following options:
- Storm Sounds
- Rain Sounds
- sounds of the ocean
- Sounds of Streams
- Fireplace Sounds
- Airplane Sounds
- Fan Sounds
- Oscillating Fan Sounds
- sounds of the city
- sounds of the jungle
- Train Sounds
- Frog Sounds
- Bird Sounds
- Clock Sounds
- Cat Sounds
- Vacuum Cleaner Sounds
- pink noise
- brown noise
- White noise
- Wind Sounds
- Wind-Ruffled Leaves
- wind through the trees
- Rain on a Tin Roof
- Rain in a Tent
- Light rain
- Rain on a Window
- distant storm
- Shower Sounds
- Spaceship
- Sound of Hair Dryer
- Dryer Sound
- Dishwasher Sounds
- wind chimes
- Whale Sounds
- wind in the field
- Strong rain
- Raindrops
- Fountain Sounds
- Waterfall Sounds
- night forest
- Sounds of Clothes Washing Machine
- sound of heart
- Cafeteria Sounds
- Sounds of a Dream
- Sounds of a Blizzard
- sounds of an owl
- Submarine Sounds
- Air Conditioning Sounds
- Cicada Sounds
- ice machine sounds
- sounds of the lake
- Office Sounds
- Seagull Sounds
- womb sounds
- Crumpled Plastic Sounds
- Boat Ride Sounds
- highway sounds
- Frog Sounds
- Loon Sounds
Are they paid?
As is typical with these types of services, a small portion is available for free, but the best features are hidden behind a monthly subscription. That's why all the sounds offered by these skills are completely free; however, Alexa will offer a premium alternative with a number of additional benefits.
And what are they? Well, basically these advantages have to do with two aspects that are important in the way we handle the skill, if we become fond of it:
- Superior reproduction fidelity, "high quality" as defined by Sleep Jar.
- Possibility of looping any sound that we ask Alexa to, with a maximum duration limit of 10 hours.
Needless to say, it is this last advantage that will fully convince us to take the step of moving from a free skill to a paid one.
How to play sounds in a constant loop
As we mentioned above, one of the features of the Sleep Jar premium subscription is enhanced loops, but Alexa can actually handle this herself if you give her the right command. By default, when you ask Alexa to play one of these sounds, it will keep it active for an hour. However, you can tell her to play it continuously by giving her the following command:
- "Alexa, tell Storm Sounds to play continuously."
This command will be activated by default, so every time you request a sound it will play in a constant loop until you manually stop it.
This way, the sound will play continuously, allowing you to enjoy the background noise while relaxing at home, taking a nap, or doing any other activity that doesn't require your full attention. And when you want to stop the sound, simply say " Alexa, stop, " and it will cease playing.