Has your sleep become noisy? For many of us, what started out as a way to soothe our babies to sleep, or block out those loud neighbors, has become a habit we cannot, will not, break.
If you’ve had a baby in the last 2 decades, chances are you’ve either heard something about white noise or are completely addicted to it. And while sound machines can be highly effective to help with sleep by providing stress-relief, soothing, or simply blocking out environmental noises, the options just keep expanding.
Is all noise the same?
- White noise = sounds like a hiss and often compared to the static sound on a television (who remembers that?!).
- Brown noise (which is also…confusingly enough called red noise) = less static than white noise, and sounds more like a deep rumble or waves crashing.
- Pink noise = a mix of white and brown noise. The pitch is lower than white noise, but without the deep rumble of brown noise. This generally creates a “softer” sound.
Is one color of noise better than the others?
Research shows that no noise is “best” for sleep, but instead that it is a personal preference. While white noise certainly remains the most popular, some people might prefer pink noise if the “hiss” is too strong, or brown noise specifically for anxiety or racing thoughts.
Is it safe to use color noise to sleep?
There is no strong research suggesting that any color noise during sleep is associated with any negative outcomes. Can we become “addicted” to it? Sure. But like anything else with sleep, it is more an “addiction” based on association and comfort, and something we can wean ourselves off of if we need or want to (like when we forget our sound machine on vacation). BUT, you don’t need to work on weaning your child (or yourself) off of a sound machine if you’re using it responsibly and it’s not feeling like an inconvenience.
Helpful tips for using sound machines (regardless of your color preference):
- Keep the sound under 70 decibels. The AAP suggests 50 decibels or under in the hospital nursery, so that’s likely a good range for you to consider for everyone in the house. To measure decibels, you can download an app.
- Put the sound machine as far away as possible from everyone’s bed/crib/bassinet. This also may mean moving your monitor away from your bed if you hear your child’s sound machine through it!
- Avoid overuse by shutting sound machines off when you’re awake (and actually talking to each other!)