When it comes to looking and feeling great, sleep is always top of the agenda. But getting a decent night’s sleep is harder than you think (and with my split New York / London life I know that better than anyone!). Which is why I’m always keen to hear new tips and tricks to improve your quality of sleep. You’ve probably heard of the ‘white noise’ phenomenon (playing background noise that sounds like a hairdryer), often used to help babies get to sleep, but the latest sleep initiative suggests that ‘coloured noise’ might be the answer.
“While you sleep, your brain continues to register and process sounds. Noise can interrupt your sleep, causing you to wake, move, shift between stages of sleep, or experience a change in heart rate and blood pressure. Sometimes this can be so brief that you don’t remember it the next morning. But some noises can actually help us get to sleep by making us less conscious of our immediate environment, which allows our minds to relax in a way that’s similar to the processes involved in meditation.”
– Dr Mark Winwood Director of Psychological Services for AXA PPP healthcare
Does white noise send you to sleep? Or would pink noise work better…
The concept of coloured noise aiding sleep has been around since the late 1800s, but it’s back on the agenda for sleep health in 2018. Pink noise, for example, has been scientifically proven to improve deep sleep, allowing for better memory formation. White noise on the other hand, is often linked with helping people get to sleep, and helps by reducing the difference between background sounds and disturbances to these like passing cars. It is often likened to a constant shhh sound, or a hairdryer noise. Also included on the coloured noise spectrum is brown noise, an even deeper version of pink noise; a rolling rumble that can often go unnoticed, so might be a good option to try if you find white or pink noise too intrusive.
It’s worth checking out some of these different noises online to see what works for you, but if you find they help, there are plenty of noise machine options out there that could help you improve your sleep quality. This LectroFan Machine is great for travel.
Read my guide to getting a better night’s sleep
© Wendy Rowe. All Rights Reserved.
