We may not take sleeping less than 8 hours as seriously as we should. But neglecting the quality of sleep can severely affect our health. Sleep deprivation can lead to a number of chronic alignments like obesity, diabetes, and depression. Hence, it is crucial that we prioritize our sleep for healthy living. There’s nothing as good as sound sleeping every night. But often due to stress and other factors our quality of sleep gets disrupted. For this, there are several tools that can help us improve our sleep quality and one of these is white noise. What is white noise and how does it impact our sleep? Let’s explore this topic briefly to understand how it works. 

What is white noise?

White noise is basically a sound containing audible sounds of all frequencies uniformly. It is also known as broadband noise because it extends

 to multiple bands of sound. An example of this will be the sound of rain, or the sound coming from an untuned radio or television. Some people prefer this sound as it sort of has a calming effect on the mind. 

Research on the effects of white noise has been carried out for years. Studies have shown that it helps in pacifying babies, maximizes work performance, and has the potential to counter symptoms of ADHD. There are several other studies that have shown factual results in improving sleep. 

How does it affect our sleep?

Preliminary research has shown mixed results, however, researchers are continuing to study the different effects. There are several noises that aid sleep while there are some noises that cause sleep interruption and can impact our hearing abilities.

 Based on the research machines have been developed to produce white noise that promotes the quality of sleep. Recent findings have indicated that it helps infants fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality in adults in different stages of sleep. When this noise is played throughout the night, adults seem to fall asleep 38% faster than the average time taken to sleep. 

If you are facing issues with falling asleep, this sound can be your solution to that. Listening to the sound of rainfall or water stream can help you in improving your bedtime routine. In fact, there are machines and apps available in the market that produce electrical noise for better sleep.

Source: White Noise, March 11, 2022, sleepfoundation.org

Read: How to make music part of your sleep hygiene.