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Rain
Rain runs in your browser here, with no ads and no signup. It's the sound of countless drops hitting leaves, roofs and the ground, and it never repeats itself exactly. People play it to make a room feel cozy and even for sleep, reading, meditation or focused work. Press play, set the volume, and use the timer whenever you want it to stop.
Ready to play
Put this under rain or a fire, keep the blend you end up with, and play it through the night with your screen off. The Slo app does that on iOS, Android and Mac.
Why steady rain is easy to live with
Rain makes a thick, always-changing sound as drops hit leaves, roofs, the ground and water. A noise generator holds one steady hiss. Rain keeps shifting in strength and gives you small sounds you can recognize. Unlike music, it has no melody and no ending to wait for. Rain is mostly hiss, so it softens a passing car, movement in the hallway or a conversation two rooms away, though a deep rumble still comes through it. Many people also connect rain with being indoors and dry, which is part of why it feels cozy, and that comes from your own experience. Played quietly, it can make a bedroom or a desk feel more even and keep odd background noises from jumping out at you. It won't put you to sleep on command, and it treats nothing. What it does give you is a familiar layer with no words in it, and that is usually easier to ignore than a quiet room where every small noise stands out.
You get rainfall without needing weather outside your window. Real rain keeps changing in strength, which is the part a noise generator cannot do. Heavy drops thump, and fine rain is a softer, higher patter. Those changes give it texture while the scene as a whole stays steady enough to sit behind whatever you are doing.
Rain for bedtime, study, and decompression
At night, rain can soften the household sounds that stand out in a quiet room. It can also become part of a routine: dim the lights, set the timer, press play on the same sound, and let that mark the end of the day's work. Keep your expectations honest. Sleep trouble that keeps coming back deserves a look from a doctor, and rain supports good sleep habits without replacing them.
For reading or study, rain gives you movement with no words in it. That helps when song lyrics or a podcast keep pulling your attention to what is being said. In meditation, the shifting detail is something easy to notice and let go of. If single drops start to distract you, lower the level or try pink noise, which sounds like rain but stays more even.
Shape a believable rainy room
Set the level just high enough to blur the sounds you want softened. A speaker across the room feels more like weather outside than earbuds do. Choose 30 or 60 minutes to wind down, or all night if a sudden stop would wake you. Don't turn rain up against a genuinely loud street, and never let it cover an alarm you need to hear.
For a storm that stays calm, use the sound mixer to put occasional thunder and a quiet deep rumble under the rain. If you want something gentler, add river water. Our sleep soundscape guide covers how to balance a recognizable nature sound with something steady underneath so the whole mix stays restful.
Presets built on rain
Each one opens with the volumes and the timer already set for a single job, so you can press play and leave it alone.
- Rain Sounds for Sleeping Rain in front, a little brown noise under it, timer set to 45 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Why do rain sounds make me sleepy?
Steady rain covers sudden noises, and many people link it with being indoors and winding down. Both vary from person to person, so treat it as a calmer room and not as a sedative.
Is rain sound considered white noise?
No. Rain is a recording, and it rises and falls as the drops change. It sounds a lot like white or pink noise because it is mostly hiss, but it is not a steady machine-made hiss.
Should rain sounds play all night?
They can, as long as the level stays quiet and comfortable, though many people only need a timer while they fall asleep. Make sure your alarms are still loud enough to hear.
What mixes well with rain sounds?
Quiet brown noise adds a deep rumble underneath, thunder turns it into a storm, and a fireplace makes it feel indoors. Keep the extra layers quieter so the mix doesn't get busy.