The Therapeutic Benefits of White Noise

If you have difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, creating a constant ambient sound could help mask activity from inside and outside the house.

Listening to white noise may not be quite as fun as listening to your favourite Spotify playlist, but it offers a whole range of fantastic benefits that many simply cannot live without.

What is White Noise? White noise is best described as the fuzzy noise heard in between switching radio stations. This soft buzzing sound is able to mask loud noises, which is great for a variety of health and wellness reasons.

What are the health benefits of White Noise? White noise can help to:        

• reduce stress
• increase focus
• soothe headaches and migraines
• mask tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

How does White Noise work? There are several explanations for why white noise works.
One theory is that the louder the environment, the less sensitive the ears become. For example, a dripping tap is more likely to bother you at night than during the day when other noises mask it. White noise raises the sensitivity threshold again, so you can’t hear the dripping tap or other sounds anymore.
 
Another theory is that the brain is always on the lookout for sound stimuli. The steady, monotonous white noise "occupies" the brain, without overwhelming it.

Babies, White Noise and Sleep. Even before they’re born, babies are quite used to loud noises. The womb, is a surprisingly noisy environment. However, newborns also have an immature nervous system which makes them especially ‘jumpy’.

This is because we are all born with a pre-programmed ability to respond to loud, potentially threatening sounds or sudden movements. This 'startle reflex' causes babies to instinctively flinch, clench their fists and in some instances start crying.

When you factor in a baby’s as yet untrained body clock, it’s no surprise that newborn sleep in the first few months is very often hard to come by.

Swaddling can help stifle the physical effects of the startle reflex, but if sleep problems persist, white noise might provide some help.

Whilst not a cure-all, many parents have testified to the calming effect of baby sound machines and how they have helped in achieving sounder sleep for their newborn.

Overall, there are obviously a million ways to try to sleep better at night. But who has time to try them all? Not us! White noise is a proven way to help you and your family sleep a little bit better. It’s also affordable and a natural approach - it sounds like you have nothing to lose.

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