White Noise, My Most Recommended Tool for Great Sleep!
Let’s talk about white noise!
What is white noise?
You’ve heard that white noise is good for your baby’s sleep. It’s one of the first topics I bring up with new and expecting parents and a requirement for my sleep based NCS support. It seems like a simple order to fill, but a quick search for the right noise machine or app shows that there’s not just white, but also pink and brown noise. So, what’s the difference?
-White noise contains all frequencies heard by the human ear, evenly distributed
-Pink noise also contains all frequencies, but is stronger at lower frequencies, causing it to sound lower or flatter
-Brown (or sometimes called red) noise is even stronger at low frequencies, causing it to be deeper or rougher sounding.
When your little one is born, it is important to remember that they have just spent the last 9 months in utero, hearing the sounds of a heartbeat and loud shushing of blood rushing through the body. The womb is loud! White noise eases your baby’s transition into this great big world. Life outside utero can be very over stimulating for your newborn, full of new lights and sounds. White noise creates a safe space for your baby by blocking out that stimulation.
Aside from its calming effects in the newborn days, white noise is definitely the most effective, easiest to implement, and inexpensive sleep conditioning and training tool for babies of all ages. White noise blocks out all of the other sounds that may be interrupting baby’s deep sleep and creates a conducive sleep environment for your little one. Use of white noise is something I use (along with a dark room, swaddle, and safe sleep environment) with all of my clients. I recommend that all babies sleep with white or brown noise for naps and night sleep for a minimum of one year and beyond, white noise never stops being beneficial for sleep! Studies have shown that white noise can improve sleep and even memory. Personally, I love pink or brown noise and find the lower frequencies most soothing to fall asleep to, like the roar of the ocean.
There are many great white noise sound machines on the market, many offering a wide range of frequencies including brown noise. Here are a few of my favorites!
