These noises that promote sleep

Some people need complete silence to fall asleep peacefully, far from the noise of neighbors and traffic that can ruin a night, while others only fall into the arms of Morpheus with certain background noises. Television, fan, vacuum cleaner, or rain would not only make it easier to fall asleep, but also allow you to enjoy restorative sleep. Something which has not been validated by scientific studies, but whose merits continue to be praised on social networks to the point that certain rumors have gone viral. On the occasion of International Sleep Day, this March 15, here are some to try to get to sleep more quickly.

What a colorful noise?

Not content with offering music, information, and podcasts, music streaming services could now turn to sound therapies. A popular practice among younger generations who do not hesitate to share hundreds of videos and audios of various and varied noises intended to promote memorization, concentration, and even falling asleep. If most people are familiar with white noise, which has been the subject of numerous studies although on very limited panels, and takes the form of pleasant background noises intended to hide more unpleasant ones, fewer people have already heard of pink noises or brown noises, colored noises, which are currently a hit on TikTok.

You should know that each noise has characteristic properties, such as duration, intensity, frequency, or what we call power spectral density. Without going into too technical considerations, this last property will make it possible to differentiate certain types of noise, but also to distinguish them by color. All of this is often correlated with the spectra of light waves, hence the fact that noises are (also) associated with colors. For example, by analogy with white light, itself made up of all colored lights, white noise is made up of all the frequencies of the sound spectrum, and results in monotonous noises resembling a slight humming sound. .

The principle is the same for pink noise and brown noise, which are establishing themselves on social networks as the new aids for memorization, attention, and sleep. We can no longer count the videos of users offering this type of noise to relax, meditate, or even fall asleep live – or almost – in front of the camera. On TikTok, the hashtags #pinknoise and #brownnoise have millions of views, demonstrating the popularity of these specific noises that are likely beneficial for the well-being of users.

Pink noise, ideal for sleep?

According to TikTokers, pink noise is the one that most promotes falling asleep. Just like white noise, it would be similar to a regular hum but with much deeper sounds. In fact, it would be felt more relaxing. Most examples of pink noise, with a few exceptions, are associated with nature, such as the rustling of leaves, the rain falling in the distance, or the movement of waves. These types of noises would make it easier to fall asleep, but above all would promote deep sleep. A confirmed observation by a scientific studyalthough conducted on a very limited number of participants.

Also popular on TikTok for its benefits on sleep, brown or brown noise, which some also call red noise, would be more likely to promote relaxation, meditation, and concentration. Unlike pink noise, it would not result in a buzzing sound but not a kind of rumbling, more intense and deep in the low frequencies. Something that would make it the ideal noise to immerse yourself in a bubble of serenity, and relax after a stressful day. The sound of a waterfall or distant thunderclaps would therefore be perfect sounds for relaxing.