Sleep deeper and remember better with pink noise

No more sleepless nights with the latest in sleep sound

Text: Shannon T

If it’s 2AM and you’re still wide awake, chances are you’re not going to have the best day come morning. Getting a good night’s rest is the key to feeling energised, boosting mood and having a productive day at work — but several elements can disrupt our rest time. The likes of a snoring partner, too much booze at dinner, or overwhelming stress and anxiety, can all rob us of our precious sleeping hours. While we’ve got tips to power you through the sluggishness that follows sleep deprivation, nothing beats a peaceful slumber in restoring our vigour to take on the challenges of a new day.

Background sounds play a critical part in our sleeping environment. Some people choose to drift off to dreamland with a soothing R&B playlist, others prefer ambience sounds of leaves rustling and water trickling, while more sensitive folks require earplugs and complete silence to fall asleep. It could be a matter of preference, but scientific studies have found that pink noise is the most ideal sonic hue for sleeping, out of all colour noises. If you happen to be struggling with insomnia, read on to find out what the science tells us about pink noise and how it might just get you through your restless nights.

What is pink noise?

The colour of noise is determined by the energy of the sound signal. Specifically, it depends on how energy is distributed over various frequencies, or the speed of sound. White noise, which most of us are familiar with, encompasses all frequencies of sound that humans can hear (ranging from 20 hertz to 20,000 hertz). It is often used to block out unwanted noises, especially for people who are trying to sleep.

Pink noise, too, contains all the sound frequencies that we humans can hear, but the energy isn’t equally distributed across them. Unlike white noise, which distributes the frequencies equally, pink noise is less intense at higher frequencies and more intense at lower frequencies, thus creating a “flat” or “even” sound that can block out annoying background sounds, without sounding harsh or shrill.

The effect of pink noise on sleep

Scientific research has found that pink noise may promote deep sleep, and help you get your recommended eight hours. Several researchers found that pink noise induced more slow-wave activity in the brain waves of young adults, leading to better sleep quality and improved memory. A study published in 2017 also looked into the effects of pink noise on the sleep waves of older adults, as they tend to get less slow-wave sleep (or deep sleep) and are at greater risk for memory impairment. Brainwave analysis showed that these participants indeed experienced more slow-wave oscillations when sleeping to pink noise performed three times better on memory tests on these nights, as compared to nights without pink noise.

Examples of pink noise

Turns out pink noise is nothing exclusive and can be found all around us for free. In Nature, pink noise may include the rustling of leaves, steady rain, wind and even our own heartbeats! However, not all nature sounds are pink noise. Sounds that emphasize low frequencies more are categorized as brown noise, such as crashing thunder or a faraway waterfall. We’ve picked out several apps to start you on your journey to better sleep:

1.    myNoise

On top of having over 200 background noises and interactive soundscapes, myNoise app allows users to shape their sounds to different noise colors, including white, pink, and gray. It has a unique calibration process that measures and adapts its sounds to people’s hearing levels, making it more efficient at masking background noises at quieter levels. Their range of sleep-friendly sounds includes:

• rain on a tent

• natural waterfall

• distant thunder

• fireplace

• fan noise

• sleeping dragon

If you’re not ready to commit, there’s a free version which has a selection of sounds including white noise, rain noise, binaural beats and spring walk, timer and alarm systems, as well as options for in-app purchases — The All You Can Hear Bundle grants unlimited access to all generators, including future ones.

2.    White Noise for Apple and Andriod

White Noise comes in three versions — Lite, Full and Pro, to cater to different needs. Lite gives you background audio support, a MixPad editor for creating new soundscape, alarm and timer systems, and a “favourite” category for quick access to your favourite sounds, whereas Full and Pro has all the features available on the Liter version with wider sound library and more customization tools.

Their extensive sound library includes:

• several color sound options, including white, violet, blue, pink, and brown noise

• a variety of rain and water sounds

• home appliance sounds, such as an air conditioner, dishwasher, hairdryer, clothes dryer, fan, and vacuum cleaner

• sounds from nature, including animal sounds, the Amazon rainforest, a campfire, a thunderstorm, and wind

• travel sounds, including airplanes, cars, trains, and city streets

• other sounds, including a purring cat, chimes, a grandfather clock, a heartbeat, and a Tibetan singing bowl

Additional free sound downloads are also available at the White Noise Market.

3.    Sleepa

Freely available on Android, Sleepa has both white noise and pink noise in its library of relaxing sounds across four categories: rain, nature, city sounds, and meditation. You can mix sounds and save your favourite sound combinations. This wonderful app does not require an internet connection so you can use it anytime and anywhere without worrying about exceeding your data. 

4.    Relax Melodies: Sleep Sounds

The Relax Melodies: Sleep Sounds has over 100 soothing sounds, music, beats, and tones that are designed to help you sleep. Create personalized soundscape by mixing elements from their sound library, which includes pink noise varieties such as

• nature sounds like wind, rustling leaves, birds, and a crackling fire

• water sounds like rain, the ocean, slow waves, and lapping water

Additional features include a bedtime alarm, a timer, and a favourites section. This holistic app also offers meditations, sleep moves, breathing techniques, binaural beats, and bedtime stories.

5.    Atmosphere: Relaxing Sounds

This app offers more than 100 high quality nature and artificial sounds for both Apple and Android users. It’s sound library is divided into different environments, including:

• beach

• forest

• city

• home

• underwater

• park

• countryside

• East Asia

• instrumental

Get creative and mix sounds between any environment, as well as import your own tracks to create a combination that is uniquely yours. It also includes a section of binaural beats and isochronic tones. Atmosphere works offline and includes a sleep timer. 

6.    Sleep Sounds

From refreshing rain to evening beach, Relaxio’s Sleep Sounds offers Android users high quality soothing sounds and all sorts of customisable options to help you get better uninterrupted sleep. Enjoy their 12 customizable nature sounds:

• Refreshing Rain

• Rain in forest

• Rainforest

• Vivid Creek

• Autumn Woods

• Evening Beach

• Airplane Sounds

• Train Sounds

• Rain on Windshield

• Cave sounds

• Soothing Night

• Winter Cottage

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