How ‘active silence’ can reduce your stress after the holidays

'Active silence' can stimulate the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus, the memory centre.

Stepping away from external noise can stimulate the growth of new brain cells. Neuroscientist and TED speaker Sarah Baldeo joined CTV Morning Live Edmonton to discuss ”active silence” and how it can help you de-stress.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Kimberly Wynn: With the holidays wrapped up, most of us are back to regular scheduling, which can mean hectic days and more stress. But what if the simple act of silence could help relieve the pressure of day-to-day life? Let’s start things off, what is “active silence?”

Sarah Baldeo: “Active silence” is this conscious practice of just stepping away, if possible, from all external noise and stimuli, but also remaining fully present and active. It’s been proven that, unlike passive silence where sometimes you zone out, “active silence” kick-starts your brain in a unique way. There was a recent study from Duke University, and what they discovered is when you listen to the sound of silence, it stimulates the growth of new cells in your hippocampus, which is your memory centre. You can think of it as a pause button for your brain, where it’s not just about the absence of noise, but you’re listening to the quiet. It’s like giving your brain this clean, clear workspace where you can regenerate brain cells.

Kim: It seems like everybody can benefit from this. How can we actively practice it?

Sarah: It can be hard to do. As you said, we all have different environments. But start with trying to find a quiet space where there’s no phones, there’s no TV, there’s no white noise machine. It’s not a nature walk. It’s just five to ten minutes a day, at any point in the day where you’re not focusing on anything specific, just remain alert and present with the silence. Sometimes people tell me that they can hear the sound of their breathing or their heart rate, but again, try not to focus on that. The key here is consistency. Try to do it every day, whether it’s morning or at a lunch break, and what it triggers these regenerative processes and starts building up new brain cells as you’re listening to that quiet.

Kim: How is it different from meditation?

Sarah: Meditation and “active silence” seem super similar, but meditation is all about focusing on something specific, like a mantra or maybe visualization. “Active silence” is about opening yourself to this idea of quiet. You’re not trying to achieve a particular Zen-like state or follow any technique. It’s like opening a window in your home and letting in the fresh air. That’s actually what stimulates that memory centre growth, and you can think of it as a focused workout for your mind. “Active silence” is about giving yourself the space to naturally regenerate and remove all that stimuli that you’re getting, whether it’s visual, auditory or just the noise around you.

Kim: How does “active silence” reset the nervous system and benefit us?

Sarah: When we engage in actively listening to silence, it’s not just about relaxation. Studies show that when you listen to a minimum of five to ten minutes of silence a day, you kick-start that neural regeneration. So, your stress hormones decrease, we see a huge drop in the stress hormone cortisol, blood pressure starts to normalize, and your brain creates these optimal conditions where you’re not running on adrenaline and high stress cortisol. These moments are just an active refresh button for your brain, because we are constantly stimulated. The benefits go way beyond feeling calm. We’re giving our brain the environment it needs to strengthen these cognitive functions and to build new neural pathways.