Meghan Herlihy
We’ve all heard of white noise, the static-like sounds that people often leave on in the background to tune out distract noises and/or help them sleep. Think ceiling fans, vacuums, air conditioners etc.
In particular, people with insomnia or other sleep disorders often find that playing white noise in the background helps them fall asleep better.
White noise’s close cousin, brown noise, has recently gained traction on TikTok for similar reasons.
@kellysalpeter Brown noise IS GIVING #kellysalpeter #brownnoise #whitenoise #colored #coloredsounds
♬ Brown noise - Pure Brown Noise - Power of Noise
Many people find brown noise even more effective at helping them than white noise, and people with conditions like ADHD have found that brown noise helps with overactive thoughts, fidgeting, or concentration issues.
But what exactly is brown noise and is there any truth to this claim?
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Brown noise is very similar to white noise, with similar static-like sounds. The difference is that brown noise has more prominent lower notes and lowers the volume on the higher-pitched notes found in white noise. Thus it’s more pleasant to the ear, and is more relaxing and less harsh for some people to listen to.
White noise has already been identified as potentially helpful for children with ADHD, but there simply isn’t enough scientific research to either back up or dismiss the claims about brown noise. There may be some truth to it; it may just be a placebo effect or sound masking (one sound blocking out others to reduce outside distractions).
Still, if you often have trouble sleeping or concentrating on your work, there’s no reason you can’t turn on some brown noise in the background and give it a try.
