What are sound machines for?
If you are a parent, I’m sure you are familiar with sound machines. Basically, these are little devices that play different sounds. They are popular for white noise, which can be soothing for sleep.
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Let’s start with some of the pros and cons of sound machines.
Pros:
- Can be soothing
- Can block out noises that would wake baby up
- May help baby fall asleep faster
- Generally easy to use
- Free options are available
Cons:
- Baby can become dependent on the sound machine
- Some sound machines can be too loud and can affect hearing
- Can be irritating for some
- Potential concerns if misused
You may hear some people saying the use of sound machines can impact development in children. There’s a lot of different research out there on sound machines and white noise. I looked into some of the research and I found a lot on white noise, but honestly I didn’t see any studies specifically on the use of white noise during sleep and it having an impact on child development. If you know of any research that does support this, please share it with me so I can check it out.
So, what does the research say?
In this section, I go through some different research studies I found about sound and white noise and its impact on health and sleep. If you’re not into research stuff you can feel free to skip ahead.
All of the studies that I saw around white noise negatively affecting concentration or memory, looked at the use of white noise while awake, which isn’t something I recommend.
Something I found interesting about these studies is that it looks like white noise can have some benefits for certain people when used in certain situations while awake.
There are a few studies that look at white noise and how it affects children in school who are “inattentive” versus “attentive” One study found that when white noise was present, children who were considered inattentive had better performance while those children who were categorized as attentive had worse performance. This study was done on school aged children while they were awake, so it’s not necessarily telling us anything about the use of white noise when babies and toddlers are sleeping.
Another study looked at the use of white noise in school, specifically around reading disability, and found that some children benefited from having white noise in the background while reading.
There is research around noises and sleep disturbances. One of the studies I looked at talked about low frequency noise and how it can impact health, including sleep. However, this study is talking about noises from things like living near windmills and rail transport. This isn’t the same as the use of sound machines which play consistent sound that we can control and ensure is within the recommended limits in terms of decibels.
There is also research on how white noise can benefit sleep, so that was helpful to see as well! Research I found suggested that white noise can help children fall asleep more easily and can also help with reducing the number of wakeups experienced.
So, what is white noise?
I dug deep for this one. I was familiar with the term white noise, but I didn’t realize there’s all sorts of colors of sounds! The most popular noises for sleep seem to be white, pink, and brown.
According to wikipedia, “the color of noise or noise spectrum refers to the power spectrum of a noise signal”. The definitions of the different colors of noise are really technical and confusing to me, but basically have to do with different frequencies and density or intensities.
To sum up white noise, it is all of the frequencies we can hear played at random at the same intensity, so it has low, mid, and high frequency tones. Pink noise has a mix of lower and higher frequency tones. Brown noise has a lower frequency, without any of the high frequency tones, and is a deeper sound.
This YouTube video demonstrates white, pink, and brown noise. After listening to this, I think I find pink noise to be my favorite. Many sound machines will include each of these different colors of noise, so that can be something to explore.
There are a lot of different options when it comes to sound machines.
The Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine is a popular sound machine. It has a built in night light and you can control it from your phone. It has a variety of sounds you can use, and you can use it as an okay to wake clock as your babies get older.
We’ve been using this sound machine for our daughter for a while now. It is simple, affordable, and has worked well for us. Before we got this sound machine, we were using this HoMedics one, but we lost it when we moved.
You don’t need anything too fancy for sound machines, for some people a fan is perfect. I’ve been using the same fan for a long time, they don’t even make it any more, but this fan is similar to the one I use.
There’s also portable sound machines and even apps you can download on your phone for white noise.
Why use a sound machine for your baby?
While in utero, babies are used to the constant sounds of the womb. Since they are used to these sounds, they can be quite comforting, and it can be unsettling to be in silence. Many people find sound machines to be soothing, I personally have a lot of trouble sleeping if I don’t have my fan or a sound machine.
Sound machines also have the added benefits of blocking out environmental sounds. Think about cars driving by, the doorbell ringing, the dog barking, and so on. Unexpected, loud sounds that occur when your baby is in light sleep can wake them up before they are really ready to be awake.
When should we use a sound machine?
I recommend using a sound machine whenever baby is sleeping. So, for both nap and night. I like consistency for naps and night time sleep, as it helps baby know that this is time to sleep. Some babies/kids are okay using sound machines just to fall asleep, and then it can be shut off once they are fully asleep. There are sound machines that have timers so you don’t have to worry about shutting them off yourself. However, some babies and kids will wake up when the sound machine turns off, so that’s something you will want to pay attention to and see if it’s affecting your child in that way.
And, of course, everyone is different, and some people can find sound machines to be stimulating or irritating. You know your child the best, and if they are sleeping fine without a sound machine you may not need to introduce one.
During awake times, there’s no need for sound machines, so you definitely want to turn it off at that time.
How loud should the sound machine be?
This is something that is important. When picking a sound machine, it is important to pay attention to the volume as The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends it be no louder than 50 decibels and that it is kept at least 7 feet away from their crib/bed. According to the American Academy of Audiology, 50 decibels is about as loud as moderate rainfall. There are free apps you can get on your phone to measure the decibels so that you can be sure it’s fully safe. I personally set the sound machine as low as possible but at a level where it is still effective at blocking out sounds and I place it across the room from where my child is sleeping.
If your child does not like having a sound machine, but you want to use one for the benefit of blocking out sounds from around the house which could be disruptive, you could place a sound machine just outside of the child’s room.
When do we need to stop using a sound machine?
I feel that the choice to stop using a sound machine is up to you. I know many adults who sleep with some sort of white noise. It is a sleep association that can be helpful, and with the option for portable sound machines or using an app on your phone, you can use it anywhere. In all the research I’ve done, I’ve only seen that sound machines can be harmful if they are too loud or are used too much.
If you want to stop using the sound machine, I would suggest starting by gradually lowering the volume of the sound machine over the course of a week until you reach the point that you are ready to keep it off completely.
Do you have questions?
If you have any questions about sound machines, feel free to reach out! You can email me at hello@delightfuldreamers.com, send me a message on Facebook or Instagram, or you can schedule a free discovery call and we can chat on the phone.
Sources:
(I did a lot of research for this, so there are a lot of sources and I apologize that they aren’t all formatted properly, but they are here for you to check out!)
Araújo Alves J, Neto Paiva F, Torres Silva L, Remoaldo P. Low-Frequency Noise and Its Main Effects on Human Health—A Review of the Literature between 2016 and 2019. Applied Sciences. 2020; 10(15):5205. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10155205
Helps SK, Bamford S, Sonuga-Barke EJS, Söderlund GBW (2014) Different Effects of Adding White Noise on Cognitive Performance of Sub-, Normal and Super-Attentive School Children. PLOS ONE 9(11): e112768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112768
Soderlund, Goran & Sikström, Sverker & Loftesnes, Jan M & Sonuga-Barke, Edmund. (2010). The effects of background white noise on memory performance in inattentive school children. Behavioral and brain functions : BBF. 6. 55. 10.1186/1744-9081-6-55.
Söderlund, GBW, Åsberg Johnels, J, Rothén, B, Torstensson-Hultberg, E, Magnusson, A, Fälth, L. Sensory white noise improves reading skills and memory recall in children with reading disability. Brain Behav. 2021; 11:e02114. https://doi.org/10.1002/brb3.2114
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ask-the-brains-background-noise/
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2001-18446-001
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J019v27n02_01
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22726808/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colors_of_noise
https://www.soundofsleep.com/white-pink-brown-noise-whats-difference/
