How to use the rain sounds player
- Press Play (or the Space bar). The rain fades in over a second or two, the way a shower starts.
- Choose how hard it rains: Light, Steady, Heavy or Downpour. You can change it while it plays; the rain builds up or eases off smoothly.
- Choose where you hear it: in the Open air, On a roof from inside the house, On a tent right above your head, or On a window while you stay warm indoors.
- Switch on Distant thunder if you like a storm. It adds a soft, slow rumble every 20 to 90 seconds.
- Set the Volume and a Sleep timer. When the timer runs out, the rain fades away over the last 45 seconds instead of stopping abruptly.
Your rain, surface, thunder, volume and timer choices are remembered in this browser. On a phone, keep the tab open and lock the screen: on most phones the rain keeps playing and appears in the lock-screen media controls.
How the rain is made
There are no recordings on this page, so there is no track that ends or loops. Your browser builds the rain from the same parts you hear in real rain:
- The hiss: thousands of tiny impacts per second blur into a broadband hiss. It is made from pink noise shaped by filters, brighter in the open and duller behind glass.
- The wash: heavy rain also has a low roar from water running off surfaces and drops landing far away. A filtered layer of brown noise provides it, and it grows as the rain gets heavier.
- The patter: a continuous texture of small, random drops on the left and right, generated entirely by the audio engine.
- Individual drops: on top, the player places separate drops at random times, pitches and positions in the stereo field, from about nine a second in light rain to around ninety in a downpour. Most are quiet and a few are close and clear, as in real rain.
The surface changes the character of each drop. On a roof the drops are lower and duller, like taps on tiles or metal heard from below. On a tent they are close, bright and drum-like, because the fabric is right above you. On a window they are short, glassy ticks while the rest of the storm is muffled by the glass. In the open air you also hear the odd small plink of a drop landing in a puddle.
Thunder is a slow swell of very low noise that rolls two to four times and fades over several seconds, at a level kept below the rain. It is deliberately distant: there is no sharp crack that could jolt you awake.
Why rain sounds help some people sleep and focus
Rain is one of the most popular sleep sounds, and the reasons are mostly practical. Like other steady sounds, it masks sudden noises: a car door, a neighbour's television or a partner's snoring stands out less against a constant background, so it is less likely to disturb you. Rain also varies gently from moment to moment, which many people find more natural and less tiring to listen to than a perfectly uniform hiss. For others, it simply brings back the feeling of being warm and dry indoors during a storm.
The research is less clear than the popularity suggests. Studies of continuous background sound for sleep have produced mixed results, and reviews describe the evidence as limited and of low quality. Some people fall asleep faster and wake less often with rain or noise playing, while others sleep just as well, or better, in silence. The same goes for focus: some people work better with rain in the background, others find any sound distracting. Rain sounds are a comfort tool worth trying, not a treatment. They do not treat insomnia, anxiety or tinnitus; if poor sleep or ringing in the ears persists, speak to a doctor.
Choosing the right rain
| Setting | What it sounds like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Light or Steady, Open air | Gentle, airy hiss with clear separate drops | Reading, relaxing, falling asleep |
| Steady, On a roof | Softer, warmer drumming heard from inside | Sleep, especially if bright sounds bother you |
| On a tent | Close, bright pattering right above you | A cosy, camping feeling; focus |
| On a window | Muffled storm with fine ticks on the glass | A quieter, darker sound for sleep |
| Heavy or Downpour | A full, dense roar | Masking louder noise such as traffic |
If you only want the steady masking without the drops, try pink noise, which has a similar balance, or read our guide white, pink and brown noise: what's the difference? To layer rain with waves, wind or a fire, use the sleep sounds mixer; for waves on their own, try ocean sounds.
Thunder and light sleepers
Thunder is off by default for a reason. Even soft, distant rumbles are changes in sound, and changes are what tend to wake people. If you are a light sleeper, use thunder while you relax or read and switch it off for the night, or set a sleep timer so the whole storm fades away after you have fallen asleep. On a locked phone, some browsers pause the page's timers; the rain itself keeps playing, but new rumbles may stop until you unlock the screen.
Safe volume
Rain works best at a modest level. Set it just loud enough that the sounds you want to cover blend into it, and below the level of normal conversation. With earphones, keep it low, especially for long or overnight listening, and consider a speaker across the room instead. The player's volume is capped, but your device volume adds to it. If you are curious about your hearing, our online hearing test takes a few minutes with headphones.
Privacy: the rain is generated on your device by your browser's Web Audio engine. No audio is downloaded or uploaded, and the only data stored is your settings, in this browser's local storage. Find more sounds on the sleep and relaxation sounds page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the rain sound loop?
No. The rain is generated live: the drops fall at random times, pitches and positions, and the background hiss comes from long random buffers that only repeat after more than an hour and a half. There is no recording, so there is no loop point or gap.
Can I add thunder?
Yes. Turn on Distant thunder and a soft, low rumble rolls in every 20 to 90 seconds, always quieter than the rain and never a sudden crack. You can turn it on or off while the rain plays.
Are rain sounds good for babies?
Many parents use steady rain or white noise to help a baby settle. Keep the volume low, put the phone or speaker well away from the cot, leave thunder off and use a timer. Our white noise for babies page adds shushing and heartbeat sounds, and the guide is white noise safe for babies? covers volume and distance.
Will the rain keep playing when my phone screen is off?
On most phones, yes. Keep the browser tab open and lock the screen; the rain continues and shows up in the lock-screen media controls. Closing the tab or the browser stops it, and some battery-saving modes may pause background audio.
Is it better to sleep with rain sounds or white noise?
Neither is clearly better in the research. White noise masks voices strongly but can feel harsh; rain is softer and more varied, which many people find easier to listen to all night. Try both at a low volume and keep the one you like.
Why does the rain sound different on my phone?
Small phone speakers reproduce little bass, so the low wash of heavy rain and the thunder are much quieter on them. Headphones or a bigger speaker give the full sound.
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