No one knows for sure, because no scientists have conducted research that explicitly compares different colors of sound in a controlled setting.
There is, however, an Android app that claims to be the only app dedicated to just blue noise and White Noise for iOS has a blue noise track. If you really like blue noise, you'll probably have to fork out more change for a higher-end device that allows you to mix and customize sounds at different frequencies, like the Sound Oasis S-5000 Deluxe Sleep Sound Therapy System. Try it: Because blue noise is harsher than the other colors, not many manufacturers include it in basic sleep sound machines. It's harsh at loud volumes, but audio engineers often use blue noise for dithering, a process where they intentionally add noise to a production, such as a song remix, in order to smooth out the sound. If you're not sensitive to high-pitched sounds, blue noise does a great job of heavily masking outside noises. As such, blue noise sounds similar to the hiss of a kinked water hose. The energy of blue noise is mostly concentrated at the high-frequency end, with very few deep tones to balance it out. Lectrofan makes a small bedside noise machine that emits a variety of different "colors" to help you sleep. You can also find brown noise on most sleep sound apps. Try it: The LectroFan Classic has 10 variations of noise, encompassing white, pink and brown. Instead, brown noise gets its name from its similarity to the Brownian motion, the random and speedy movement of particles in liquid. Unlike the other sounds, brown noise isn't named after the actual color brown. It sounds dampened compared to white noise, but somehow stronger, comparable to hard ocean surf during a storm or the rumble of a brass instrument humming a low note. Think of brown noise like a deeper version of pink noise, with even more bass tones and low-frequency concentrated energy. The Dreamweaver is a new product from Honeywell that combines an oscillating fan and pink noise for ultimate snoozing. Try it: Check out Honeywell's DreamWeaver Sleep Fan, a small bedside fan that emits pink noise along with the oscillation and cooling of a fan. For example, if you live in an apartment complex where people come and go all night, pink noise may help you drown out the sounds of revving engines or footsteps. It also has more power in the lower frequency bands than white noise does, and those strong bass tones make it sound less harsh to the human ear.īecause it comprises both high and low frequencies, it also has sound blocking benefits that can help to drown out distracting noises that keep you from falling asleep. Pink noise is a mix of high and low frequencies, like the sound of failing rain or gentle ocean waves, making it soft and calming. Pink noise has recently become the darling of all the sleep sounds, presumably due to the fact that recent research has shown pink noise to increase time spent in deep sleep and improve memory. You can also find tons of products that use white noise, such as this Marpac white noise machine with more than 10,000 five-star reviews. Try it: Because it's the most popular of all the colors, virtually every sleep sound app includes it.
White noise sounds like the static you hear when you accidentally tune cable TV to an unused channel. The consistency of white noise creates a tried-and-true masking effect, which can help people fall asleep faster. Because white noise encompasses all of the frequencies any person can possibly hear (about 20 Hertz to 20 thousand Hertz), it holds the potential to block out any outside sound. The legacy of sleep sounds, white noise has lulled people to sleep for ages. The self-proclaimed original white noise machine, Marpac has manufactured versions of its Dohm Classic since 1962.
This article goes over four colors of sound commonly used for sleep, what they sound like and how to try them out. The colors of sound are continuous, unchanging signals at a particular frequency and amplitude. For example, white noise emits all of the frequencies audible to human ears, just like white light contains all of the colors of light visible to the human eye.ĭon't confuse the colors of sound with ambient noise, which refers to the background noise present in any given setting for instance, the rumble of a train mixed with passenger chatter, or the rustle of leaves in the wind mixed with the chirping of birds. This is usually measured in decibels, a measure of the volume or intensity of sound.Īll the different colors of sound vibrate at different frequencies, and their names are loosely analogous to the colors of light.
Amplitude, also called power, which refers to the size of the waves.One Hertz means one vibration per second. Frequency, which refers to how quickly the wave vibrates per second and is measured in Hertz units (distant memories of high school science coming back yet?).