The secret to better sleep: Pink, blue and brown noise
The best music for sleep may depend on your personal preference. A noisy environment can disrupt sleep and increase the risk of long-term health effects. The World Health Organization recommends keeping environmental noise levels below 40 decibels at night. Unfortunately, depending on where you live, it may be impossible to ensure a sufficiently quiet bedroom environment. Though there isn’t research yet specifically about the sounds of an oscillating fan, it does act as white noise and could offer some of the same benefits—like masking external noise.
For these people, it may be best to avoid caffeine altogether. One 2021 study found that using a mobile screen for more than 8 hours a day or for at least 30 minutes before going to bed can negatively affect sleep. Keeping the mobile device near the pillow while sleeping had a similar association with worse sleep quality. Cues such as light also influence the circadian rhythm, which helps the brain and body judge when it is nighttime.
This key acoustic distinction between abrupt threat and gradual non-threat was borne out in a 2012 study by Buxton in a hospital setting. Part of the answer lies in how our brains interpret the noises we hear — both while awake and in the dead of night — as either threats or non-threats. Northwestern has a patent pending on the new technology, and one of the study authors has cofounded a company that plans to market it commercially. But first, says Zee, larger and longer studies are needed to confirm the findings and show that there are benefits to long-term use, rather than on just one night. The researchers hope to Ambiance develop an affordable device that people can use at home. Zee and her fellow researchers had 13 adults ages 60 and older spend two nights in a sleep lab.
Whether you have a lot on your mind or just can’t get comfortable in bed, sometimes we need a little extra help to drift off to sleep. Perhaps what’s missing from your nighttime routine is listening to a sleep podcast. Before they were born, your baby was serenaded by the constant rumbly sounds of the womb. And that’s why a super quiet room can be unsettling for little ones…and not conducive to sleep. Instead of a hushed sleep space, babies crave rumbly white noise—and that’s especially so when they’re upset.
For those of you with minds that run a hundred miles each night, this show is designed to slow down your thoughts and reset your mind. Sleep Whispers tells everything from various histories to recipes in hushed whispers, which has been shown to help adults sleep. What you do before bed is just as important as what you do on it.