White noise can help people sleep because it’s a low-volume, neutral sound that helps drown out background noises.
This type of sound helps to mask disruptive noise, like street traffic or your roommate’s awful snoring. The whirl of a box fan or the hum of an air conditioner are white noise: they contain a range of frequencies that maintain a consistent volume. Most people would find it hard to sleep through that type of racket. For example, a single-note sound, like someone holding down a number button on a telephone, is not white noise. White noise is a mix of sounds that vary in frequency, but not intensity. If you’re trying to get your sleep schedule back on track, it may help to try some relaxing white noise or music for sleep. When we get into the habit of poor sleep hygiene, it can paradoxically both leave us exhausted and make it more difficult to fall asleep when we finally do get to bed. However, science has shown repeatedly that adequate, quality sleep is a crucial part of physical and emotional health.Īdults need seven to eight hours of shut-eye per night for optimum cognitive performance, yet more than 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders or insomnia. When we’re frantically juggling work life, home life, and family time, it’s easy to tell ourselves that we can get by on less sleep in order to fit more activities into the day. AS ADULTS WITH hectic, modern lifestyles, we often find that sleep is low on the list of priorities.