Common Sleeping Disorders

If you have difficulty falling into sleep and are easily disturbed by the slightest noise, you may want to consider using white noise to help mask noise that seeps into your bedroom. This type of sleep aid have been shown to be effective in helping people whose sleep is often interrupted by peripheral noise, such as traffic from the street or a noisy neighbor, so that they can sleep through them

White noise can be used to help mask noises that otherwise would keep from you from getting a good night’s sleep. White noise can also be useful for people who have trouble sleeping when their bedroom is “too quite.”

What is white noise? It’s not simply soft ocean waves or the soothing sounds of the autumn wind blowing through the trees. Technically, it includes all sound frequencies within the range of human hearing combined.

It’s similar to the color white being produced from a combination of all other colors, which may be why they call it white noise. The “noise” is random, meaning it doesn’t have a pattern unless it’s manipulated.

White noise doesn’t follow a set pattern like normal sound does. Rather, it’s mixed up and in constant change, creating the “swooshing” effect that our ears absorb. According to experts, the reason why white noise is so soothing is because the masking effect produced covers all other sounds – from high to low pitches.

If your sleep is being disturbed by a dog barking outside your window, white noise theoretically can help muffle, mask, or cancel-out that sound. On balance, white noise sounds relatively high-pitched to us (though at a “hum”).

The reason why it doesn’t keep us awake is because the noise essentially overloads our auditory systems and for most of us, provides a distraction from competing sounds. It prevents us from zeroing in on any one sound, so we simply become “numb” to them all.

While we may think of white noise as being tranquil sounds from nature, it’s actually closer to the sound a fan makes. Pure white noise can be “tuned” to more closely resemble these soothing, familiar sounds.

An ocean wave gently rolling onto a shore, or a light rain falling against the windowpane, are just some of the sounds now readily available on CDs sold in stores. You just pop the white noise CD into your bedside CD player, set it on repeat and let the white noise help you fall asleep and sleep through the night.

Other white noise generators include ceiling or box fans, static from a radio or a furnace or air conditioner with a low hum. There are also dedicated white noise machines or sleep sound machines specifically designed to help people fall asleep and stay asleep.

Some white noise CDs contain a number of different environments to choose from, such as the sounds of a waterfall or a rainstorm in a forest. All the sounds are collected to create an oasis of relaxation and ultimately promote sleep. Find the one that works best for you to sleep better and end those days of feeling tired, drowsy, and irritable.

Tags: promote sleep, sleep, sleep aid, sleep better, sleep sound machines, sleep therapy, sleep through the night, sleeping, sleeping aid, white noise, White Noise CD, white noise generators, white noise machines