Pink is the new white, at least when it comes to noise in your sleep environment. And don’t worry, that doesn’t mean that you need to paint your walls the perfect shade of bubblegum or buy a new pair of rose-hued sheets. The push for pink is all about sound.
White Noise vs Pink Noise
White noise has been a hot topic for quite a while. Produced when different frequencies are combined, numerous applications and sound machines offer this sound as a background noise to help you fall asleep. Many people, after all, need some consistent sound to help drown out outside noises, and white noise has been the go-to option.
But while the crackling of white noise is consistent, many people do not find it very pleasant or restful. Because there are so many different frequencies combined, some people find themselves trying to distinguish the sounds from one another. This can keep your mind awake instead of easing it into sleep for the night.
Does it Work
According to Jue Zhang, Ph.D., an associate professor at China’s Peking University, pink noise is a type of sound that has every octave at the same power. It is a perfectly consistent frequency. Zhang likens it to rain falling on pavement, or wind rustling the leaves on a tree. This gentle type of sound mix is quickly replacing white noise as the new sleep sensation du jour.
But, we all know how fickle fads can be. To test the effectiveness of this type of sound, Zhang ran a study exposing 50 participants to either pink noise or no noise during sleep. During daytime naps and nighttime sleep, Zhang monitored the participants’ brain activity. According to the study results, 75 percent of study participants reported more restful sleep when exposed to pink noise. The brain activity monitoring supported the individuals’ reports. Stable sleep increased 23 percent among the nighttime sleepers and more than 45 percent among those napping and exposed to pink noise.
Pink noise is like a lullaby for your brain activity. If you are looking for something a little more peaceful to serenade you to sleep every night, give this new sound a shot.
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