THE NIGHT IS long, particularly for those who aren’t sleeping through it. That likely includes most of us at some point in our lives. Who hasn’t found themselves wide awake at 3.17 am, turning from side to side, slowly beginning to worry that we might not get back to sleep before dawn. Then the clock-watching starts, as your mind begins running miles on the anxiety treadmill. You look again, fearful of what the clock might reveal. It’s now 4.05 am and you’re no closer to slumber.
There are a few things that could be holding you back from restful sleep. One, you might be stressed, worrying about that work project that’s hanging over you or the tone with which you addressed the barista at the café this morning. Or it might be too noisy. The neighbours are playing bongos, for example. Or it could be that it’s too quiet and you’re missing the residual hum of a refrigerator or air conditioner to lull you to sleep.
We can’t do much about your neighbours but if it’s either of the latter two, a white noise app could help. These apps have flooded the market in recent years – it appears there are whole swathes of the population lying awake each night. If you’re one of them, here’s everything you need to know about white noise apps and our picks of the best apps to help you sleep like a newborn baby.
What is a white noise app?
You know the sound of an untuned radio or TV? That’s white noise. The term refers to a noise that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound in equal measure.
Research on white noise has found evidence it can reduce crying in infants and boost your performance at work. It could also potentially help counteract symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), while multiple studies have also examined how white noise may affect sleep.
While you could untune your radio to produce white noise, you could also just grab your phone and download a white noise app. Guessing you choose the latter.
Do white noise apps work?
Short answer: maybe. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia reviewed the scientific literature and identified 38 studies that have investigated noise as a sleep aid. While there was some evidence that continuous noise reduced the amount of time it took individuals to fall asleep, the quality of the evidence was poor, and at least one study suggested the noise may lead to more disrupted sleep, the researchers concluded.
“If these apps or devices could only do good things, I wouldn’t really care. But because there may be negative consequences, I would just be careful,” says study author Mathias Basner.
But other research has found evidence that white noise apps can be effective in masking other disruptive sounds. A study published in the journal Sleep Medicine on participants living in a high noise environment in New York City found white noise significantly improved sleep based on subjective and objective measurements in subjects complaining of difficulty sleeping due to high levels of environmental noise.
The question you have to ask yourself – ideally not at 3am – are you awake because you’re stressed and strapped to a mental treadmill, or are you not sleeping because of the sound of the city outside, neighbours moving furniture upstairs or other calls of the night. If it’s the latter, then a white noise app could be beneficial. If it’s the former then you probably need to do your stressing before you get into bed.
Do white noise apps drain your phone’s battery?
Yes, white noise apps can significantly drain your battery, mainly because by using them you are effectively running your phone all night. But there are steps you can take to reduce the toll. Start by enabling battery saver mode to reduce power consumption, limiting background processes and dimming your screen. You can also adjust settings within your white-noise app, such as adjusting the volume or setting a timer, rather than just letting it run all night. You should also lower your screen’s brightness – a common culprit in battery life drainage – which could be distracting and keep you awake!
Is there a free white noise app?
Yes, there are lots of them! And most apps have a free version to choose from. Here are our picks:
Sleep Sounds by Sleep Pillow
This app contains a variety of soothing sounds to help you fall asleep. We like the simple display, with each sound option having its own image. Once you tap the image, the sound plays until you stop it. You can set up a timer that shuts off the sound after a designated period, ranging from one minute to an hour and 15 minutes. The free version comes with the following sound options: rain, ocean waves, lightning, rain and wind mix, bird and frog sounds, whale sounds and crackling fireplace sounds. We like rain – brings back memories of nights under the covers listening to a thunderstorm.
BetterSleep
This app’s library includes more than 200 mellowing sounds, sorted into categories: ASMR, Animal, Baby, Brainwave, City, Nature, Sci-fi, Solfeggio, Spoken, Water, White Noise, Melodies. The white noise section has seven sounds: white, brown, pink, and green noise, as well as air conditioner, spaceship, and airplane. The free version of BetterSleep gives you access to around a quarter of the sleep sounds.
White Noise Lite
White Noise Lite is a free white noise app that offers 50 free pre-programmed sounds including Rain and water, Fans and air conditioners, Animals and nature, Transportation and Miscellaneous, which includes Tibetan singing bowl, crowded room, and heartbeat (sounds stressful, tbh). The app also offers coloured sounds, including white, grey, brown, pink, blue, and violet, while timers and alarms give you the flexibility to program sounds to play for as long as you wish, as well as fade, or repeat. The free White Noise Lite app features banner ads – you can upgrade to the full White Noise app for one dollar or upgrade to the pro version for more sound options.
White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds
This app range of ambient sleep sounds includes Mechanical sounds, Coloured noises, Rain, Thunder, Water, Birds, Animals, Nature, Fire, ASMR and Baby, many of which are free.
Atmosphere
On this app there’s a wide range of sounds broken down by category like forest or beach, and you can play multiple tracks at once. The volume of each sound can be individually tweaked, giving you more ability to create your perfect mix.
Related:
Does White Noise Really Make A Difference To Our Sleep?
Doctors reveal what happens if you only sleep six hours a night
