There’s a reason for that. The ocean has a calming effect on your mind, allowing it to go into a meditative state. Since the sound and sight of the ocean is easy for the brain to process, it can create a soft focus, just like when you are focused on your breath in yoga or in a mindfulness practice.

Being near the ocean has mental health benefits as well as physical ones. Staring out at the ocean can also result in a relaxing, meditative state, and can even change the frequency of brain waves to match that of the sea, putting you really in touch with nature.

That calming predictability involves all the senses—from the steadiness of the sound to the salt smell in the air. It also includes the tactile sensation of sand between our toes. In fact, sand has such emotional power (even away from the beach) that it is sometimes used in psychotherapy.

While staying hydrated may not get rid of anxiety entirely, it can help reduce its intensity. Additionally, according to the Calm Clinic, “Water also appears to have natural calming properties. Drinking water can be soothing, and often your body will benefit from the added hydration during times of intense stress.”

No. Seas are not calmer at night in the tropics. They might be in temperate areas. Trade winds in the tropics are effectively constant and ocean wave trains are driven by these winds, so there will be waves breaking continously night and day.

Waves are caused by winds blowing over the water. As night falls, the land cools, and the land and water surface areas become equal in temperature , the wind effect dies down. Winds in general are also calmer at night due to the land surface temperature cools off and levels out quickly after sunset.