The Case for White Noise

Civilization has brought on many great things – and many not so great things. One of those not so great things is noise.

Noise pollution is all around us – cars, buses, trucks, motorcycles, stadiums, TV’s, air conditioners, you get the point. While all these are great inventions have contributed to modern society, they have all added to the “noise” in our life.

It’s this noise that has made some of us feel like we need to have noise even while we sleep. Not to mention how hectic our lives have become that turning off our brains when we go to bed has become a chore.

Two hundred years ago, there probably wasn’t much noise pollution and there probably weren’t many people that felt the need for white noise while they slept.

Evolution I suppose?

They say babies find noise machines comforting because of all the noise they experience while in the womb. But at some point, children should acclimate to a quiet room while they sleep. Or maybe not! Maybe they had bad parents who kept a TV on all night while they slept. Shame on them.

What is White Noise?

White noise technically reduces the difference in sound between it and louder background noises that might peak or otherwise wake you up. White noise also works to calm the brain by providing a constant stream of noise at a certain decibel level that isn’t associated with waking noises. If you find yourself needing a substantial amount of noise while you sleep, try to think back at what might have been the cause for this need. I say this because I truly believe that sleeping without white noise is something to strive for. Not that there is anything wrong with white noise while you sleep, but fundamentally it’s an advantage to not need any man-made noises while you sleep. It’s a shame that HuffPo thinks the opposite🙂

Turning Your Brain Off

Think about turning your brain off at night – can you do this without white noise? If not, then something might be amiss in your life. Something to chew on…

Noise Machines

Noise machines come in all shapes and sizes. Your phone is even a decent noise machine as there are all kinds of apps that will play noise or music while you sleep. I’d love to recommend a few if you want me to review a few of them. Just drop a comment below.

My advice?

Try to ween yourself off white noise. If it actually does comfort you into a deep slumber every night, then try to set it to turn off after a certain amount of time.