White Noise Explained: How White Noise Can Help You Sleep

White noise is sound that includes all frequencies audible to the human ear—between 20 hertz and 20,000 hertz—played at an equal intensity or amplitude, measured in decibels. This produces a "shh" sound similar to that of a humming air conditioner, a hair dryer, a whirring fan, TV static, or radio static. The sound of white noise can conceal other more jarring sounds, allowing you to get a better night's sleep.

The term "white noise" derives from the term "white light;" just as white light is a blend of all visible light wavelengths, white noise is a blend of all audible sound frequencies.

Below are four benefits of using white noise to help you sleep. If you think you have a sleep disorder, seek medical advice from your doctor before altering your sleep habits.

1. 1. White noise blocks distracting environmental noises.The soothing sound of a white noise machine can mask sounds that may keep you awake, such as barking dogs, loud neighbors, and honking vehicles. Some hospitals install white noise machines in patient rooms so that patients can fall asleep easier. In addition, people suffering from tinnitus, a condition of ringing in the ears, sometimes use white noise to help suppress the buzzing sound.
2. 2. White noise can induce sleep through relaxation. White noise not only blocks out disturbing sounds, but it also provides a relaxing ambient noise that can help you drift off to sleep.
3. 3. White noise helps "turn off" your mind. Those who suffer from insomnia typically struggle to stop thoughts from racing at night. When you’re lying in bed in silence, any small noise can act as a trigger and activate your mind.
4. 4. White noise can be available anywhere. Many white noise machines are compact, so you can take them on the go when you travel. If you don’t want to buy a white noise sound machine, you can download a white noise app on your smartphone.

White noise and pink noise both consist of all the audible frequencies that the human ear can hear, but unlike white noise, the frequencies in pink noise are not played at an equal intensity. In pink noise, intensity is highest at lower frequencies and gradually decreases as the frequency increases. Due to this unequal distribution of intensity, pink noise sounds deeper than white noise. Like white noise, pink noise can function as a sleep aid by creating a relaxing atmosphere and blocking out background noise.

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