What is white noise?

White noise is a random scattering of all the audible sounds your ear can hear. It contains all the frequencies played at the same time randomly together.

You could be forgiven to think this would sound chaotic and distressing. However most people feel calmed and relaxed when listening to white noises.

Examples of white noise include the crackling of an old radio, the sound of rain, rustling of leaves, and the sound of the sea. These are all pretty calming sounds right?

What can white noise help with?

White noise is great for blocking out distracting background noises and sounds. This is one reason why many people experience relaxation and pleasure when listening to the sea. Many people use white noises to enhance relaxation and meditation.

A lot of people report that white noise helps them sleep. Many people with sleep problems can be helped with white noise playing whilst they drift off.

White noise can also help a person concentrate, ease stress, and help with self hypnosis.

How does white noise work?

White noise helps distracting noises fade into the other noises so they no longer distract. These sounds blend into the rest of the white noise. Then there are no sounds that stand out and catch your attention. It’s nothing like hypnosis!

White noise guides your mind away from conscious thought. White noise blocks out cues to think in a conscious way, allowing a more creative and relaxed frame of mind.

Many people strongly believe that white noise carries therapeutic qualities because it is a similar sound to what we experience when in the womb before birth. Many parents note that their babies settle and fall asleep when driving in the car with a humming engine, or even with the noise of a vacuum cleaner. It seems that at least part of this natural inclination stays with us later in life.

Why is it named white noise?

White noise has its name because of its similarities to white light. White light is a combination of all the colours in the spectrum mixed together. This is why a rainbow is formed when the sunlight hits the rain. The colours are split to display the spectrum of different colours. White noise is similar as it is made up of all the sounds combined together.

Other colours

There are several other coloured sounds. The most notable are pink noise and brown noise. Pink noise focusses more on the lower tones, although it does still contain some of the higher frequencies. Pink noise sounds smoother and less busy than white noise. Pink noise is useful for helping you relax whilst still maintaining focus and energy.

Brown noise has a greater emphasis on the lower frequencies. This deeper sounding noise is helpful for promoting deep sleep, easing headaches, and masking tinnitus.

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