The Benefits of Pink Noise: Enhancing Sleep, Memory, and Relaxation
Having trouble getting a full night’s sleep? You’re not alone. According to the CDC, 14.5% of Americans have trouble falling asleep. If you’re among them, you may have seen recommendations to try white or pink noise. These soundscapes can mask disruptive noises and create a calming auditory environment, but what exactly are they?
If you’ve ever had trouble falling asleep at night, you may have put on sounds of the rain or ocean waves to help yourself relax. Maybe you even bought a white noise machine to drown out the noise from your neighbors or the street. Researchers are studying pink noise for its potential to help with sleep, memory, and more. In fact, it may have benefits not only as sound therapy, but also as gentle brain stimulation.
Waves exist in many different forms in nature, including the sounds that we hear and the brain waves that are needed for our neurons to communicate. Frequency is how fast a wave is. Power is how strong or big a wave is.
What is Pink Noise?
Pink noise is another type of background noise with a wide range of frequencies, but the lower frequencies have more power than higher frequencies. Pink noise has both low and high frequencies, which make it calming to the listener. By reducing the intensity of higher frequencies, it offers a deeper, more balanced sound, often described as soothing and natural, like rustling leaves, gentle rain, or ocean waves.
All of the frequencies in white noise are equally loud, while frequencies in pink noise change in volume (i.e. lower frequencies are louder than higher frequencies). This downward slope mirrors what happens in the brain and many systems in nature.
When it comes time to fall asleep, this soothing sound can drown out some of the distracting sounds around you, whether they’re footsteps from your upstairs neighbors or cars driving by.
Benefits of Pink Noise:
- Natural Sound Profile: Provides a soothing and natural sound experience.
- Improved Sleep Quality: Aids in masking disruptive sounds, promoting better sleep.
- Gentler Experience: Offers a more balanced and less harsh sound compared to white noise.
Pink Noise vs. White Noise
White noise is a consistent sound that plays all audible frequencies at equal intensity. Imagine the static sound of an untuned television or radio-that’s white noise. In white noise, all of the frequencies have similar power. In other words, the lower and higher pitches in white noise are almost the same volume. In white noise, power is more or less constant for each frequency, so its graph has a flat line.
Frequency Distribution. White noise treats all frequencies equally, while pink noise has more of an emphasis on lower frequencies.
Benefits of White Noise:
- Consistent Masking: Effectively covers a wide range of distracting noises.
- Versatility: Suitable for various environments and situations.
- Widely Available: Easily accessible through apps, machines, and online sources.
Sound Perception. The choice between pink noise and white noise often comes down to personal preference and your specific needs. If you’re looking for a sound that’s versatile and effective at masking all kinds of noises, white noise is a great option.
There is more research to support the use of white noise, as pink noise has only been studied recently.
Beyond White and Pink: Brown and Green Noise
Not helping enough? Ready to try these sounds out?
Brown noise (also known as red noise) has even more emphasis on lower frequencies than pink noise, making it deeper and richer, more of a roar. While pink noise sounds like a balanced hum, brown noise is closer to the rumble of a distant waterfall or thunder.
Green noise describes natural environmental sounds, especially those associated with water, like flowing rivers, ocean waves, or rainfall. It overlaps with pink noise but focuses more on the natural ambiance of outdoor environments.
Brown Noise:
- Frequency Profile: Emphasizes lower frequencies for a deeper sound.
- Sound Perception: Resembles the rumble of natural phenomena like waterfalls.
- Usage: Can be particularly effective for relaxation and masking specific types of noise.
Green Noise:
- Nature Sounds: Mimics natural environmental sounds, especially water-related.
- Relaxation vs. Sleep: Ideal for creating a calming atmosphere, though may not be as effective for sleep as pink noise.
The Science Behind Pink Noise and its Impact on the Brain
Our brain cells communicate through brain waves that follow a pattern similar to pink noise. As our brains age, they produce more white noise and less pink noise. During sleep, our brains produce slower brain waves that allow the body and brain to enter a state of rest and restoration. Pink noise appears to amplify the power of the slower brain waves during deep sleep.
Deep sleep is critical for consolidating and creating memories. As we get older, we generally spend less time in this restorative part of sleep, which may contribute to memory decline. Some researchers have seen promising results when pink noise is administered as transcranial brain stimulation.
Since collaborating with clinicians at Neurofield, a center in California that has pioneered the use of noise in neurostimulation, we have implemented pink noise in our clinic’s neurotherapy protocols. As a result, many of our patients have experienced improvements in several areas, including mood, motivation, focus, sleep, and brain fog.
Incorporating Pink Noise into Your Routine
If you are interested in trying out pink noise, you can easily listen to it through apps, Youtube videos, and sound machines. In the future, more doctors will administer treatment not just in capsules or tablets, but also as waveforms: sound, light, and electrical current.
Did you know that your hearing health could factor into your sleeping issues? In fact, hearing health can impact your overall physical and mental well-being. If you’ve never visited a hearing health clinic, we’ve made the process easy for you. Simply put in your location, search by filters, and request an appointment at a nearby spot. Request an appointment at a hearing care provider near you.