Some people swear by white noise machines to sleep.
A woman on our team discovered white noise machines a decade ago when she first moved into the apartment where she still lives. The woman who lived below her was a lovely, very young nurse with boundless energy. She worked odd hours for 12-hour shifts at the hospital and would then come home with friends and loudly host them at four in the morning. Where she got the energy after working a shift at the hospital was astonishing! But our team member needed her sleep and worked a normal nine-to-five, so she got a white noise machine to help block out the sound.
About half of younger adults sleep with a white noise machine, while one-third of boomers do. And while we refer to the devices broadly as “white noise machines,” most also produce brown and pink noise. Brown and pink noise are lower-pitched tones that some find more soothing.
“A lot of people have never heard of brown and pink noise,” explains Robert Rudd, a sleep medicine physician at Erlanger Hospital. “The difference is the frequencies emitted, but pink noise probably has the most compelling data for sleep-quality enhancement.”
A small study found that people in a loud New York City area slept significantly better with white noise machines. The machines produce a uniform noise. Blocking out sounds can help a person sleep. While the study said the machine can change the pattern of brain waves and block out noises. But the study only had 10 people.
While a white noise machine can block out loud neighbors, their noisy pets, motorcycles or a snoring spouse, it’s important not to blast it as you sleep.
Neurologist Dr. Baibing Cheng stresses that it’s essential for health to sleep with a white noise machine at a reasonable volume. You may want to blast it if you are blocking out a loud noise, but it’s unhealthy.
“If it’s too loud that can actually lead to hearing damage over time,” Dr. Cheng said. “And as I have mentioned in my previous videos hearing loss is one of the biggest risk factors for dementia later in life. Aim for around 50 decibels max and you can check it on your noise app on your Apple watch or use a free phone app like Decibel X, it literally takes two seconds.”
Hearing loss is one of 14 modifiable risk factors linked to dementia. By reducing the risk of hearing loss, you can also lower the risk of developing dementia. So, while a white noise machine may aid your sleep, make sure it’s not too loud.
