The Truth About White Noise
It might help. It might hurt. And the science isn’t sold.
My friend won’t sleep without her white noise machine.
Always has it humming in the background—home, hotels, wherever.
Says it’s the only way she gets real sleep.
She’s not alone.
White noise machines are everywhere.
The promise?
Block out the chaos. Calm the brain. Sleep like a rock.
And sometimes, they deliver.
If you live near a train station or your neighbor’s dog barks at 3 a.m., white noise might help you sleep better.
But here’s the part nobody wants to hear:
Most of the science? It’s not on board.
Two major reviews—one in 2020, another in 2021—landed in the same place:
The quality of evidence that white noise improves sleep is low.
Why?
Study designs were all over the place.
High risk of bias.
Some showed benefits.
Others showed disrupted sleep—or hearing risks.
Translation: It helps some people. It messes with others. And no one agrees on exactly how or why.
So—should you use it?
Maybe.
White noise might help if:
You sleep in a noisy environment.
You’re a light sleeper.
You keep the volume under 50 dB.
And—you actually like it
But it’s not a magic fix.
And in some cases, it backfires.
Better options?
Pink noise (think: ocean, rain, wind).
Eye masks.
No screens + same bedtime every night (boring, but they work).
Bottom line:
White noise isn’t useless.
But it’s overhyped.
Like a lot of wellness tools, it might help a little.
But it won’t undo bad habits.
And if you’re blasting it, you’re probably doing more harm than good.
Facts, not fluff - Heather
Dr. Hausenblas,
Thank you. As an average music consumer and fan of music therapy in general I agree with what you're saying. Scammers use unnatural messaging on some relaxation videos too. People need to keep educating ourselves and others best we can on how scam artists have been doing the people in America, including the business owners in America.
A good example to get people started is the HBO documentary "Hacking Democracy" (2006), however old we were then, showing Americans and the world how and why electronic voting machines have never been valid anywhere. Other key examples are pointing out to any unaware people the Founding of America, what man-made religion has always been, what pseudoscience is, and what discord "trolls" are if they had no one to point that out for them either.
Sincerely,
Michael
🦖
Thank you. This is helpful as I have issues with sleep. I used to use my air purifier as a sound machine at night. But, now that I live in quiet neighborhood I find that I don't need it as much. Some of my sensitivity may be due to my PTSD history. Safety is an issue when you have highly sensitive nervous system., I wonder if you know anything about sensivity to noise in general. I feel it’s become worse for me as I've gotten older. I go crazy in noisey restaurants. I've decided that I'm going to need to take earplugs me. My dinner companion is unhappy with this arrangement. I'm always negotiating where I sit in a restaurant. Maybe I need to see a doctor. Not sure what they would do for me.