The faint rumble of thunder or even the hiss of a radiator can help you fall asleep.
At least if you believe sleep scientists.
If you’ve scrolled through social media, particularly TikTok, at any point in the past 12 months, you’ve probably come across the “brown noise” sensation.
Videos claiming it can “quiet and focus the mind,” help with sleep, and prevent tossing and turning have been viewed millions of times.
Up to one in three Britons and almost half of Americans suffer from insomnia.
Brown noise can be compared to the low hum of a jet engine. So if you can fall asleep on a plane, brown noise can help you. Research shows that one of the reasons brown noise can aid sleep is because it is a quieter sound than white noise, but it masks external noise
Desperate for a cure, millions are turning to breathing exercises and lighting scented candles to help them fall asleep. Some count sheep.
Others even listen to static TV to relax. Just as frustrated pFor decades, Arents vowed to use the white noise of a vacuum cleaner or hair dryer to lull their baby to sleep.
But now sleepy heads are turning to the “brown” sister sound, which is said to have amazing driving capabilities.
Although it may sound similar, it is technically softer. Proponents liken it to the sound of running water or the deep but dull growl of a jet engine.
Such sounds are already plugged into phone apps and devices that are marketed as having sleep-inducing properties and have been shown to work by calming your heart rate.
Professor Dan Berlau, a neuroscientist who currently teaches at the Regis University School of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado, said: “Brown noise causes what’s called noise masking, where because you’re hearing sounds at full frequency, it’s a noise blanket over all others have. sounds. .’
He said: “It just reduces the distractions around you.
‘in the evening, [it means] When you’re trying to sleep, you won’t be distracted by the crunching and rushing of the wind in the house…
“It just creates an acoustic blanket that creates all the sound frequencies so you’re not distracted.”
Professor Berlau added: “As a father of a four-year-old and a six-year-old, I can tell you that my children have slept with brown or pink noise all their lives. It’s amazing.”
While the simple hack won’t work for everyone, Professor Berlau advises the desperate to at least try.
He believes listening to sounds is safer than taking many of the drugs that used to be the main weapon in a sleep medicine doctor’s arsenal.
Professor Berlau said: “There are many sleep aids, many of which have very strong side effects. So if there are non-pharmacological therapies that can help you fall asleep, that would be great.
“Unless you hear it loud enough to hurt your ears, the downsides of brown noise are pretty minor.
“I would advise everyone to use brown noise to sleep when they are feeling down.”
A scientific one Report, published in Sensors journal in 2022, supports his theory that the sleep-promoting effects of listening to brown noise are due to sound masking.
Rather than prescribing medicine to treat insomnia, the Korean study suggested that white, brown or pink noise might one day be recommended.
According to an analysis of sleep diaries, listening to colored sounds helped participants fall asleep about 10 minutes earlier than usual.
There are many devices, such as the speaker pictured, and smartphone apps marketed as having sleep-inducing properties. These sleep aids use acoustic stimulation to induce sleep, but there is little evidence that they actually work
DR Gemma Paech, a sleep expert at the University of Newcastle in Australia, said that waves in an ocean during a storm or a fast-moving river could also be classified as brown noise.
Dr. Paech explained that the sound was deeper, less loud and more soothing to sleep than white or pink noise.
Like brown and white noise, pink noise is a timbre and can be compared to the sound of rustling leaves.
Dr Peach told MailOnline there are other reasons why brown noise can help people sleep, not just because of its powerful masking effects.
She said: “There can be a ‘conditioned response’ – if someone has a history of regularly falling asleep hearing these sounds, the brain begins to associate these sounds with sleep, so when they are played, the brain asleep decrease.
Some people may find these sounds relaxing, which can help put the brain in a sleep-ready state.
“For example, if someone has positive associations with rain on a roof, hearing similar sounds can be comforting to help them fall asleep.”
But brown noise is only a quick fix and will not fix the cause of the sleep disorder, says dr. peach
If stress and anxiety are more disruptive to your sleep than outside noises, then those noises will not necessarily solve your sleep problems in the long run, explains Dr. peach
White noise can improve memory and attention, especially in children. Studies of inattentive school children show that while white noise can help with learning, it doesn’t work for everyone
Professor Göran Söderlund from the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is researching white noise and how it can improve memory and attention, especially in children.
He sticks to his own theory and uses the white noise of appliances in his home to lull his children to sleep.
He said: “Anyone with young children uses white noise.
“Some people use the sound of a vacuum cleaner to soothe their children and put them to sleep. I did it with my child.’
Tips for falling asleep and sleeping better
As a result of insomnia, you often have trouble sleeping. It can get better if you change your sleeping habits
One in three adults in the UK and almost half of adults in the US suffer from insomnia, with millions more reporting sleepless nights.
Prolonged sleep deprivation can lead to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Insomnia can be caused by stress, anxiety, alcohol, caffeine or nicotine, noise, shift work and jet lag.
If you regularly suffer from insomnia, there are simple ways to improve your sleep hygiene.
Maintain regular bedtimes
- Try to go to bed when you feel tired and get up at the same time every day.
Create a relaxing space
- Dark, quiet, and cool environments generally make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
move
- Exercise is good for your physical health and your mind. It can also help you sleep better. Avoid vigorous exercise just before bedtime.
Don’t force it
- If you find you can’t fall asleep, get up and do something relaxing. Then go back to bed when you feel more sleepy.
Write down your concerns
- If you find that your worries keep you up at night, try writing them down before you go to bed.
Lighten up the caffeine
- Alcohol and caffeine can prevent you from falling asleep and staying asleep. Cutting back on caffeine right before bed and alcoholic beverages can help rejuvenate you.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
