The Surprising Noise That Helps You Sleep Far Better

You probably don’t need to be told that North Americans are scraping by on far too little sleep. Survey after survey shows that most adults are either staying up to late, which cuts into valuable sleep time, or are unable to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The end result, of course, is a continent of people who feel groggy and just not up to their full potential.  Deep sleep, or better know as REM state, is essential for the body as this is when the body re-energizes and repairs itself. Not getting enough REM sleep eventually leads to break down within the body, not to mention, lack of sleep is linked to diseases like diabetes, cancer, depression, immune system trouble, and even weight gain and obesity.  Its interesting to know that there is a simple solution that might make sleep you do get, far more restful and longer.  What also is interesting is this solution is actually a noise that can actually improve sleep rather than interfere with it.

Say hello to Pink Noise. Unlike white noise, which is a combination of sound frequencies, pink noise is a “steady” noise that has a constant frequency, like rain hitting the pavement or the sound of the wind rustling tree branches.  It appears that the steady soothing sound of pink noise helps to slow down and regulate your brainwaves so you get more restful sleep. A new recent study help to reveal this to be the case.

50 people were exposed to either pink noise, or no noise at all during naps and nighttime sleep. 75% exposed to pink noise claimed to have a more restful nights sleep. In addition “stable sleep”, which is the kind that makes you feel more rested, increased by 23 % from pink noise for nighttime sleepers, and more than 45% among nappers. The research concluded:

“This study demonstrates that steady pink noise has significant effect on reducing brain wave complexity and inducing more stable sleep time to improve sleep quality of individuals”

Adding pink noise to your bedroom is one of the easiest ways to block out background distractions while at the same time encouraging your brainwaves to slow down for rest full sleep. It can be as simple as turning on  a fan.  You can purchase a noise maker that produces a steady stream of sound, either artificially or mimicking falling rain, surf on a beach, a waterfall or wind.  You can also acquire a CD, or downloads for your computer or cell phone, which you can play at bedtime or nap time. Whatever your choice is it has been found that people exposed to steady pink noise tend to fall asleep faster and easier.