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White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

theguardian.com

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Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#11

Post by barkingcat »

davidmurdoch wrote: post #3

> It is an active process, which generates metabolites, some of which have been shown to be harmful to the inner ear. You probably want to have a period where the auditory system can wind down, regenerate and prepare for the next wake period. Something like 30% of people suffer from tinnitus. Falling asleep with a loud ringing is hard, and for those suffering it's not like we get an auditory break anyway. I wonder, c…

of course, the easiest way to resolve both issues is to have a timer, or hook it up to one of those body motion sensors. Once the person has gone to sleep, turn off the noise generators, allowing 1) the person to fall asleep, and 2) after the systems have turned off, to allow regeneration without noise.

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#12

Post by hoka-one-one »

davidmurdoch wrote: post #8
graeme wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wonder, can others not hear their pulse through their pillow when in a dead quiet room? That’s called pulsatile tinnitus. I used to hear silence, then after a jaw injury I started hearing my pulse and eventually ringing. But no normally you wouldn’t.

TIL! My jaw is almost never relaxed, and I clench my teeth together when I sleep. Interesting correlation.

You're supposed to clench your teeth together when you sleep. What's the alternative? Hanging your mouth open?

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#13

Post by [deleted] »

Terretta wrote: post #9
Reason077 wrote: post #6

I find the best thing for falling asleep in a noisy room is noise-cancelling headphones. I get very annoyed by the sound of humming fans and the like, and can’t imagine why you’d want to add more noise! The only downside is that it’s hard to find noise cancelling headphones that are comfortable to wear while sleeping, if you sleep on your side. Big market opportunity here!

Not that hard to find: https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/wellness/noise_masking_s... https://www.bose.com/en_us/better_with_bose/better-sleep-is-... https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/bose-sleepbuds-2-feature...

[deleted]

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#14

Post by bookofjoe »

Reason077 wrote: post #6

I find the best thing for falling asleep in a noisy room is noise-cancelling headphones. I get very annoyed by the sound of humming fans and the like, and can’t imagine why you’d want to add more noise! The only downside is that it’s hard to find noise cancelling headphones that are comfortable to wear while sleeping, if you sleep on your side. Big market opportunity here!

>Headphones designed for sleep

https://dubslabs.com/

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#15

Post by lintroller »

I live in an old house with roommates that aren't on the same work / life schedule. They're considerate but moving around on old floors with thin walls makes noise. Keeping a box fan on when I go to sleep and leaving it on all night means that I can tune out the noise of them being normal humans before I fall asleep and when they wake up earlier than me.

Are there any solutions that can account for noise on a varied schedule?

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#17

Post by Reason077 »

Terretta wrote: post #9
Reason077 wrote: post #6

I find the best thing for falling asleep in a noisy room is noise-cancelling headphones. I get very annoyed by the sound of humming fans and the like, and can’t imagine why you’d want to add more noise! The only downside is that it’s hard to find noise cancelling headphones that are comfortable to wear while sleeping, if you sleep on your side. Big market opportunity here!

Not that hard to find: https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/wellness/noise_masking_s... https://www.bose.com/en_us/better_with_bose/better-sleep-is-... https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/bose-sleepbuds-2-feature...

These are not (active) noise cancelling!

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#18

Post by Reason077 »

bookofjoe wrote: post #14
Reason077 wrote: post #6

I find the best thing for falling asleep in a noisy room is noise-cancelling headphones. I get very annoyed by the sound of humming fans and the like, and can’t imagine why you’d want to add more noise! The only downside is that it’s hard to find noise cancelling headphones that are comfortable to wear while sleeping, if you sleep on your side. Big market opportunity here!

>Headphones designed for sleep https://dubslabs.com/

Yes, there are lots of “sleep headphones” like these. But they are not noise cancelling.

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#19

Post by mdbauman »

graeme wrote: post #4
davidmurdoch wrote: post #3

> It is an active process, which generates metabolites, some of which have been shown to be harmful to the inner ear. You probably want to have a period where the auditory system can wind down, regenerate and prepare for the next wake period. Something like 30% of people suffer from tinnitus. Falling asleep with a loud ringing is hard, and for those suffering it's not like we get an auditory break anyway. I wonder, c…

> I wonder, can others not hear their pulse through their pillow when in a dead quiet room? That’s called pulsatile tinnitus. I used to hear silence, then after a jaw injury I started hearing my pulse and eventually ringing. But no normally you wouldn’t.

Thank you, that's good to know. I always thought it was normal and people other than me just got used to the pulse noise.

Re: White noise as sleep aid may do more harm than good, say scientists

#20

Post by hombre_fatal »

The article makes it sound like the alternative to white noise is luxurious, dead silence.

But, especially in the city, the alternative is usually just patches of semi-silence interrupted by loud or sharp things. Dogs barking, a police siren, the neighbor coming home at 3am, your partner flushing the toilet, inexplicable noises that start and then stop before you realize why you're up.

I listen to white noise like a fan because it smooths over those noises. I'd pick dead silence if I could.

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