What is white noise that can help many people sleep better?

When it comes to noise, many people immediately think of mixed sounds that can disturb the listener, making them lose concentration or have difficulty falling asleep. However, in fact, there is a type of noise that helps the listener concentrate better or sleep better, which is white noise.

What is white noise?

White noise (translated from "White noise" in English) is a type of sound that contains all frequencies in the human audible sound spectrum (frequency from 20Hz to 20,000Hz), with uniform intensity, creating a continuous, regular and stable sound, with no obvious rhythm.

White noise is sound with a steady, continuous frequency, similar to the sound of a TV when it loses signal (Photo: Sleepfoundation).

The name “white noise” comes from the concept of “white light,” which is a combination of all colors in the visual spectrum. Similarly, “white noise” is a combination of all sound frequencies that humans can hear.

Some white noises in life include the hum of a fan, the steady sound of falling rain, the gentle lapping of waves, the "hissing" sound of a TV or radio when it loses signal...

Because of the benefits of white noise, many devices, mobile applications or social media videos with content that emits artificial white noise are becoming more and more popular and loved by many people.

Reasons why white noise helps you sleep better

In a study by American scientists published in the medical journal Elsevier (Netherlands), they pointed out evidence that white noise can help children calm down and cry less, help many people fall asleep easier, improve work performance...

Scientists have pointed out the reasons why white noise helps many people sleep better and fall asleep easier:

Impact on brain waves and nervous system: A study published in the medical journal specializing in hearing The International Tinnitus Journal said that white noise will affect the activity of human brain waves, helping to change the state from alertness to relaxation, thereby making it easier for listeners to fall asleep.

The steady sound of white noise also helps stimulate the nervous system's relaxation response, slowing down heart rate and breathing, which are conditions that help people fall asleep easily.

This is also the reason why many people feel better and deeper sleep on rainy nights, when the sound of rain continuously falls outside.

Video illustration of white noise simulating the sound of falling rain (Video: WN).

Covering up environmental noise: Scientific studies show that even when sleeping, people can still hear surrounding sounds such as dogs barking, cars running, talking... This will make it difficult for many people to fall asleep, sleep deeply or wake up in the middle of the night, affecting the quality of sleep.

White noise helps create a stable background sound, overpowering or masking noise from the surrounding environment, such as car horns, footsteps, etc. The continuous and stable sounds of white noise will help the brain not be stimulated by sudden changes in sound, thereby allowing for deeper sleep.

Many people feel like they sleep better and deeper when it rains because the sound of falling rain is also a type of white noise (Photo: Ymp).

Create a sense of familiarity and relaxation: White noise devices or apps can simulate natural sounds such as rain, waves, fans, etc., helping many people feel relaxed.

Some studies have shown that for newborns and infants, white noise can remind them of the sounds of the womb, helping them feel safe and fall asleep more easily.

White noise keeps the mind from being distracted to help you sleep better: In a study published in the journal Sleep Medicine, scientists likened white noise to an anchor that helps the listener's mind from being distracted to help them focus more easily on sleep or the task at hand.

Many people often choose to listen to music to sleep, but when it comes to a favorite song or familiar melody, their mind will hum along to the lyrics or melody, making it difficult to fall asleep. While white noise is just a series of continuous sounds without rhythm, it cannot distract the listener.

For people with tinnitus, white noise can also mask the ringing in their ears, helping them sleep more comfortably.

Is there a risk of becoming dependent on regular use of white noise?

Many people worry about relying on white noise when they regularly listen to it while sleeping. Scientists say this worry is completely justified. Many people who rely too much on white noise may become restless and have difficulty falling asleep without continuing to listen to this sound.

Many babies fall asleep more easily when listening to white noise (Photo: Shutterstock).

To minimize dependence, users should only turn on white noise when the surrounding space is too noisy or the brain is distracted, making it difficult to fall asleep. They should not regularly use white noise every night.

However, currently mobile applications with white noise playback function have become quite popular, so users do not need to worry too much about depending on white noise because they can play and listen to this sound right from their smartphone when needed.

Additionally, you can easily find hours-long videos with just the white noise function on Youtube so you can listen to these sounds while sleeping.

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White noise is a useful sound that helps many people sleep better thanks to its ability to mask noise and create a feeling of relaxation. However, the effectiveness of this type of sound depends on each individual and living environment. Many people feel uncomfortable when listening to white noise, instead of feeling comfortable.

If you want to try the effects of white noise on sleep, you can search for videos on Youtube with the keyword "white noise" to have your own experiences.

Users need to pay attention to adjusting the sound appropriately when playing white noise, just loud enough to cover up the surrounding noise but not too loud to affect hearing.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/khoa-hoc/tieng-on-trang-la-gi-ma-co-the-giup-nhieu-nguoi-ngu-ngon-hon-20250422014759608.htm