What is the healthiest noise to fall sleep to?

As someone who speaks with customers daily, I often receive this question. However, after speaking with them about their situation, it seems they're less focused on "healthy" frequencies and more focused on quieting their brains so they can fall asleep. A few months ago I spoke with a woman who was absolutely exhausted, but she couldn't drift off because she was hyper-focused on the hum of her neighbor's air conditioning unit. She tried multiple white noise machines and many meditative tracks on YouTube but nothing worked. She wasn't looking for science, but, instead, was looking for silence.

Truthfully, there is no gold standard for sound. The noise that best masks the specific disruptions you face is likely the best noise for you. If you hate the sharp, static hiss of white noise, like the woman I spoke with, you might like pink noise. It is a deeper frequency akin to steady rain or wind through trees. Some folks like brown noise, which is much bassier, resembling the low rumble in an airplane cabin. It's less of a sound and more of a soothing, heavy presence. The goal of listening to noises like this is to stop your startle response. If a car horn or barking dog sends your heart racing, your sleep is ruined. To combat this, a consistent, sonic blanket that stays steady all night is needed.

That's why we intentionally designed SleepPhones® headphones. With ultra thin, padded speakers gently resting against your ears, you'll be able to listen to masking sounds all night. And with the soft, breathable headband, you won't even realize you're wearing it. That is until you wake up and realize you slept through the entire night without hearing that bothersome AC unit.

Find more answers on our "Frequently Asked Questions" page.