The term rewild classically refers to restoring ecosystems or letting nature take care of itself—reducing human management to restore biodiversity and ecosystem processes. In recent years, I’ve noticed the concept expanding into human life—diet, movement, sleep—with the essential argument being that we’ve become disconnected from our evolutionary environments, leading to stress and disconnection. Importantly, rewilding isn’t about returning to the Stone Age, but about recalibrating toward environments our bodies evolved in.

That’s what drew me to Strength Side’s “The Human Animal Method” program. It wasn’t about chasing numbers in the gym; it was about reconnecting to natural movement—rolling, crawling, stretching—things my body already knew deep down. And I’ve realized the same is true for sound.

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I’ve written a short book for composers that explores how music is organized and the roles it can play across the globe. The book is called Formative Forces in Sound. If you are interested, it’s available on Amazon here for $0.99 www.amazon.com/formativeforcesinsound

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Why Sound Matters

Sound serves as a deeply evolved warning system. We can hear in the womb, and unlike vision, hearing doesn’t “switch off”—the auditory system remains active even during sleep, scanning for sudden changes that might signal danger. A single unexpected sound can wake me faster than light, since the auditory pathway is always open.

Auditory signals are processed more rapidly than visual signals. Research shows it takes about 8–10 milliseconds for an auditory stimulus to reach the brain, while visual stimuli take 20–40 milliseconds. The full brain processing time for sound is in the range of 140–160 ms, while vision takes 180–200 ms. This quick processing helped our ancestors survive. But in my daily life, that finely tuned system is bombarded by HVAC hums, refrigerator drones, phone pings, and podcasts. It’s not being asked to save my life anymore—but it is still working, processing every signal, every moment. And the question I ask myself is: am I using this system in healthy ways, or am I letting it atrophy under the weight of noise?

Why Rewild Hearing?

Much like diets dominated by processed food, modern soundscapes are dominated by constant, mechanical, non-natural noise, often leading to chronic stress. Studies show noise pollution elevates stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which impairs sleep and increases the risk of various health problems. By comparison, nature’s sounds are dynamic and variable, typically promoting relaxation and wellbeing.

I think about the analogy to myopia (nearsightedness) from lack of outdoor time: more time spent outdoors helps prevent myopia, showing vision adapts to our habitual environments. I can’t help but wonder if the same is true for hearing—years of exposure to monotonous, artificial sound may change how our auditory system functions.

For me, rewilding hearing is about restoring balance. Not rejecting technology, but making space again for silence, for natural sounds, for voices and live music. It’s about remembering what my ears were built for.

We already treat air pollution as a public health crisis, and rightly so. But the World Health Organization estimates that noise pollution is nearly as damaging, contributing to heart disease, sleep disorders, and chronic stress on a massive scale. If smog clouds our lungs, constant hums and sirens cloud our minds.

The Costs of Modern Noise

• Cognitive overload: Constant streams of information result in reduced focus and shallow thinking.
• Isolation: Personal audio devices cut out community sound, leading to less social connection.
• Physiology: Continuous background noise is linked to sustained higher levels of stress hormones and worse sleep.
• Parallel to diet: As processed foods affect physical health, processed and relentless sound can affect mental health and hearing.

For a fantastic read about soundscapes check out the aptly named book: The Soundscape by R. Murray Schafer! This book helped me understand more about how what I was hearing in my day to day life.

Principles of Sonic Rewilding

Rewilding sound isn’t about perfection. It’s about tipping the balance back. Here are five principles that I’ve found useful:

1. Awareness – Notice what you’re hearing. A decibel meter app can show how loud your world is. I try to pay attention to which sounds stress me and which restore me.
2. Silence & Fasting – Give your ears breaks, the way fasting gives your body rest. A few minutes of quiet resets my nervous system.
3. Nature First – Seek natural sounds daily: birds, wind, water. If I can’t get outside, I’ll play high-quality nature recordings. Pink or brown noise feels gentler than harsh white noise.
4. Intentional Consumption – Be selective with podcasts, music, and headphone use. I’ve realized I don’t need sound filling every waking moment.
5. Communal Sound – Revalue live, human, uncompressed sound. I’ve found that conversations, live music, and rituals are the sounds that bind us together.

Practices for Rewilding Your Sonic Life

I think of these like a workout program for the ears—simple, repeatable practices 3–7 times per week.

1. Sonic Awareness Drill (Daily)

I use a free decibel meter app and check my surroundings throughout the day. Journaling what sounds stress me and what sounds give me peace has been eye-opening. Awareness is the first step.

2. Silent Walk (2–3x per week)

This is one of my favorites: I leave my phone at home. No music, no podcasts. Just walk.

At first, it can feel empty. But after ten minutes, my thoughts stretch out when nothing interrupts them. My ears tune in—footsteps on gravel, birds overhead, wind shifting trees, my own breath.

It’s fasting for the ears. Just as my body resets when given a break from constant food intake, my mind resets when my ears rest from constant chatter.

3. Nature Immersion (3–7x per week)

I try to spend time outdoors without headphones. Letting my ears take in the layered sound of birds, insects, moving water, or shifting air feels like a reset. When I can’t get outside, I’ll play recordings of forests, rivers, or rain. Pink or brown noise also helps mimic nature’s gentler frequencies.

4. Layered Listening (Weekly)

I’ll close my eyes for five minutes and map near vs. far sounds. I try to identify at least five layers. This is how our ancestors lived—ears building a mental map of the world. The practice sharpens awareness and brings calm.

5. Headphone Reset (As Needed)

One day a week, I skip headphones. I let my ears breathe. Earbuds are a tool, but I try not to let them become a permanent filter between me and the world.

What’s at Stake

Without rewilding: stress, shallow thought, disrupted sleep, and disconnection. With rewilding: clarity, presence, creativity, and peace.

I already know how to rewild my diet, my movement, even my sleep. It’s time to rewild my ears.

I have also found that as a composer and thinker about music, giving my ears more nature time has restored or awakened ways in which I hear music. I’d say it’s a bit like a cleanse; after some time in nature my ears feel refreshed.

An Invitation to Listen

The modern world isn’t going silent anytime soon. But we can create islands of sonic balance. For me, rewilding my hearing isn’t nostalgia it’s about taking control of one aspect of my health. Non-natural noises truly start to grind me down. Motorbikes passing, dump trucks rumbling, renovations being done next door…you get the idea. I am working on finding a way to give my sense of hearing a nature break away from all of that!

In all the noise of a city, I sometimes wonder what would it mean to live in a world not just designed for what we see, but for what we hear? Everything from our houses to local ordinances….but I digress.

I’m doing a couple practices this week; walking without my phone and sitting quietly in my yard. That’s it. Just the intention to let my ears rest. I invite you to join me.

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References

[1] https://rewildingeurope.com/what-is-rewilding/
[2] https://www.rewild.org/what-is-rewilding
[3] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rewilding
[4] https://www.mossy.earth/rewilding-knowledge/what-is-rewilding
[5] https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/what-is-rewilding/an-introduction-to-rewilding/defining-rewilding
[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12689472/
[7] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4456887/
[8] https://www.scirp.org/html/4-2400003_2689.htm
[9] https://www.mykidsvision.org/knowledge-centre/all-about-outdoor-time
[10] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6878772/
[11] https://meriden-sbroad.refocuseyedoctors.com/why-outdoor-play-matters-for-childrens-eye-health/
[12] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2836417/
[13] https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180418144725.htm
[14] https://rewilding.org/what-is-rewilding/

[15] https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/fact-sheets/item/noise

[16] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3971384/

[17] https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/noise-pollution-can-lead-to-sleep-issues-chronic-health-problems/