Does white noise really help babies sleep better ?

What is white noise ?

White noise refers to a noise that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound. However, in real life the term “white noise” is often used to define a certain category of sounds that has been proven to help babies, adults and elderly persons to relax and sleep.

It is said that machines designed to promote sleep using a similar concept came about as early as the 17th century.

Why listen to a “noise” to sleep ?

Research says that white noise helps to cut out disruptive sounds and noises around us, thus promoting sleep and improve sleep quality. In other research done on newborn babies, it was seen that babies sleep off much quicker and sleep better with white noise around them.

Insomnia is a major health concern especially in the western countries. A study done on adults showed that they sleep off 38% faster while listening to white noise. This has been verified in cities with noisy areas like New York City where people fell asleep faster and spent more of their time in bed asleep while listening to white noise.

Disruptive noises during sleep can have detrimental effects on your health. People in high noise areas have been found to complain of bad sleep quality, waking up feeling tired and of long term health issues resulting from Insomnia. A different yet related situation happens in far-away parts of cities which are otherwise very quiet, but a sudden sound of a cat crying or a bike riding by in the middle of the pin-drop silence has led to people having increased heart problems, difficulty in going back to sleep and rising levels of anxiety.

Your white noise

While the technical definition of white noise is pretty straightforward, people typically do not have the right instruments to synthesise and create the noise at home. Research has shown that different people respond to different noises with varying results. While some might relax and sleep better with the buzzing sound of a classical “white noise”, for others it might not work. Some like environmental sounds like rain, air, leaves crackling, while others might sleep better at the sound of a hair dryer, washing machine, or similar equipment.

With The Somnos Project, we are creating a portfolio of free products that are catered to enabling babies and adults sleep quicker and better. If you are interested in gaining early access to our products, just write to me at “mukherjee.anirban86@gmail.com”.

Where can I get white noise ?

• Machines: You can easily purchase white noise machines off-the-shelf from Amazon or similar marketplaces. The downside is that they come with a fixed set of sounds, and if one does not click right with you, then it could be money wasted.
• Apps: There are several apps out there in the mobile app markets (Play Store and App Store). The downside of most apps apps remain the same as machines. They contain a fixed set of audio clips, and if one does not “click right” with you, then you have to move to trying out others. One of our products in The Somnos Project is a mobile phone app that uses the power of sounds to bring good and healthy sleep to babies and adults.

Setting your white noise

Remember that white noise is after all noise, and if it is your first time using any type of white noise, do take care of a certain things:

• Setting the right volume: Too loud white noise can be detrimental for you. Be sure to set it at a volume that you feel comfortable with, one that just about cuts about your ambient sounds, and that you are still able to hear someone calling from the other room.
• Do not set the device next to your pillow: Always set the machine or the phone playing the app at some distance from yourself.
• Try out once before using for the night: Do try out using white noise for an afternoon nap or a powernap during the day before putting it out there for the whole night. Once you wake up, try to check if you slept well, or for any side-effects like headache, etc.

Insomnia is a rising problem among adults in today’s generations. Elderly people have difficulty sleeping for long hours due to age-related factors. Babies are not able to sleep due to stress or trying to adjust to an environment outside of the mother’s womb.

White noise and similar variants have been proven and tested to work wonders in getting people young and old to sleep quicker, deeper and longer. Do try it out and have a good sleep !

We at The Somnos Project are working on building a portfolio of products, all of which will be FREE to use, catered to helping adults, parents and babies get better sleep using the power of sounds. Do write to us at hello@thesomnosproject.com to know more or just to say hello !