Can Noise Help You Sleep?

With the subject of sleep being pushed into the spotlight and sleep as a science now an increasingly popular area of study, we are aware more than ever of the need for quality sleep, and how damaging lack of sleep can be. This is to the degree that many unable to sleep well naturally, are exploring exactly what can help them sleep better.

So if this can’t happen naturally because of deterrents, disruptions and interruptions – how can we still pursue a great night’s sleep? Is Ambien our only hope? (See: The Detriments of Sleep Medication.)

What holistic, truly effective way can help our body get the rest it needs? It is in this pivotal moment that we learn what we hear can be our sleep’s worse nightmare, or the best sleep aid.

Noise is something our ears detect and we identify, as disruptive or soothing (then we call it “sound”).

When we even hear the word “noise” we automatically think of a sound that is unpleasant to us. It can be why many of us go without the quality sleep we need, and… how we can sleep soundly.

In the late 1800’s scientists including Thomas Edison, began conducting and recording experiments on sound, and happened upon a collection of sound frequencies we know now to be White Noise. During their research, they found the full spectrum of sound – similar to the spectrum of light, i.e. the rainbow. They noted the comparison, that just like white light is not actually “white” but rather all the colors in the rainbow at once, white noise is all the sound frequencies within the audible spectrum. This sound, white noise, proved very effective in blocking out or “masking” other sound, important when trying to focus on a task or— trying to sleep.

White noise is created by generating random frequencies in equal proportions per octave, typically using a special mathematical computer program.

  “Imagine listening to a hall full of 1000 people talking. The brain is no longer able to tune in to any one conversation, and effectively zones out and treats it      as a soothing background noise. That is precisely what happens with white noise.” – The Science Behind Noise; noisecolors.com

Brown noise and Pink noise make up the triumvirate of other core “colors” in the sound spectrum. Different mathematical recordings produce deeper sounds.    Brown noise is deeper audio (especially good to sleep to), whereas pink noise is on the opposite end of the spectrum, a little more high-pitched.

These sound frequencies are digitally synthesized to give you what science recognizes as “pure white noise.”

Many often confuse fan sounds with white noise because of the almost hypnotic way the repeating noise of the blades in motion allows your brain to focus and even lulls you to sleep.

The hum or whirr of a fan can mimic the effects of white noise in the sense that it allows your brain to concentrate on singular sound (then there is the added bonus of keeping you cool– which also helps with sleeping). However, scientifically, fan sounds are not pure white noise.

The ‘LectroFan white noise and fan sound machine was created with digitally synthesized sound and developed to play 10 variations of white noise (including pink and brown noise) as well as 10 electric fan sounds (from attic fan, to box fan, to oscillating fan, etc…).

This not only gives you a choice of what to sleep to, it is extremely effective at getting you the quality sleep you need.

“We developed ‘Lectrofan to be an effective alternative to ‘sleep machines’ that had been on the market for years, yet weren’t quite doing the job,” said Sam Nicolino, CEO and Founder of Adaptive Sound Technologies. “Sleep is important – we need it to be effective and productive and to live quality, healthy lives. While the ‘LectroFan is at an affordable price point, our standards of what we use to help us sleep naturally should be high, because the cost to our mental and physical health of not getting the sleep we need definitely is.”

Therapeutic, scientific methods and devices that help you sleep naturally, are now recognized in medical and wellness circles as key to helping the sleep deprived, get the sleep they need each night.  Turning off the disruptive noise in our brain and around us, and preparing our bodies for sleep each night but tuning into digitally synthesized, non-looping sound improves our quality of sleep and quality of life.

Learn more and hear pure white noise at www.lectrofan.com .

Sources: The Science Behind Noise: NoiseColors.com; The National Sleep Foundation Recommends New Sleep Times; Everyday Health.com: The Risk of Taking Sleeping Pill