Sound Machine – Could a White Noise Machine Help You?

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By Joyce F

Browse the Full Range of White Noise Machines HERE

Every day throughout the country advertisers try to sell us a restful night’s sleep by advocating pills, high priced mattresses, technologically advanced pillows, and a whole plethora of other items. However, for many of us the problem is simply noise. And oddly enough a sound machine may be the answer to our prayers.

A sound machine, often called white noise machines, is considered to be a natural sleep aid for insomniacs and those who have difficulty getting or staying asleep. These sound machines deliver a backdrop of noise that disguise the sounds of activity in other parts of the house, and instead offer a soothing atmosphere in which to work or sleep.

What is White Noise?

White Noise Machines create a kind of noise that is made by combining sounds of all different frequencies together. If you took all of the possible tones that a human ear can hear and combined them together, you would have white noise. A sound machine simultaneously produces a soft sound consisting of the combined tones in a gentle relaxing sound that can help to drown out distracting noise.

Natural sounds, such as the sound of waves, or a babbling brook, are quite relaxing and help relieve stress. It is therefore no surprise these identical sounds of nature have become popular choices for white noise CDs and sound machines. By combining the white noise and playing it simultaneously with sounds of nature, the result causes external sounds to be absorbed completely and presents a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

If white noise is a new concept to you then you are not alone. For others of us the idea has been around for some time, but without the fancy title. Many of us have used low tech a sound machine for years when we turned on a fan to mask the sounds of a noisy bed partner or roommate. The soothing whir covered many distracting sounds and lulled us to sleep.

But sound machines have taken a giant stride forward and are now referred to as “White Noise Machines.” A sound machine produces a gentle soothing sound that helps to provide privacy and drown out distracting noise from your environment and have been finding their way into offices and bedrooms near you.

Here are a few Sound Machine facts:

  • Sound machines have been recommended by doctors for some time because not only do they work, they may be safely used by both children and adults without worries about harmful side effects.
  • There are lots of ways to take advantage of this technology from a simple CD to a convenient machine that produces the “white noise” sound.
  • These natural sleep aids are great for those who have trouble sleeping at night but have other uses as well.
    • White noise is often used outside Drs. or therapists offices to provide privacy for their patients.
    • A sound machine can also absorb the noise of a co-worker in an office environment or from a noisy roommate, making concentration easier for work or study.
    • Works great for Tinnitus sufferers – they can simply drown out the tinnitus with white noise.
    • Help your baby sleep longer or through the night.

What About You?

Do you, or have you ever used a sound machine?

  • I use a great white noise machine every night!
  • Can't sleep without my white noise CD
  • I turn on my fan.
  • I sleep like a baby - I wake up crying every two hours :-)
  • Don't need a thing, I sleep like a log.
See results without voting

Uses for a Sound Machine

Over the years many couples have had to resort to separate bedrooms because one or the other partner is a noisy sleeper. These couples can typically be helped with white noise. Also having white noise is great for producing a relaxed sleep environment for those who sleep different hours from others in the household because of shift work. They appreciate the advantages of a white noise machine because the noise of family members going about their daily lives is covered by the steady white noise.

White noise machines will help drown out those disturbing noise intrusions in your life. But these devices can be of use in a variety of places other than the bedroom. And even though these machines are sold primarily to help individuals get to sleep, they may be used for other purposes as well. A white noise machine is effective for quite a few other reasons, such as sound buffers to improved concentration in college dormitories and libraries as well as to provide a level of audio privacy should the need arise in the workplace, cubicles, or doctor and therapists offices.

Tinnitus sufferers sometimes find relief by using a sound machine.  Because tinnitus is frequently more obvious at bedtime because your environment is so much quieter, it can often be covered by competing sounds. A sound machine, or white noise machines, is perfect for masking the tormenting sounds of tinnitus.

Where to find a Sound Machine or White Noise Machine

White noise MP3s, CDs or sound machines can be quite affordable, starting as low as $0.99 for the least expensive solutions (an MP3). MP3s and CDs are the least expensive and will work with headphones or through speakers, and the white noise machines are lightweight, so you can carry them with you when you travel. And though they are small, a sound machine will seem like a little miracle to anyone who has experienced trouble sleeping in the past.

But with the number of white noise machines flooding the marketplace, it might be challenging to find the one that specifically fits your needs. And since different sound machines are designed with various sound producing systems you need to make sure the device you ultimately choose is going to mask the sounds you desire to block. Going for a pure white noise machine would be the best choice, as it could blanket all types of sounds.

Here's an Example of Some White Noise

What is your experience with a sound machine?

RetailPrincess profile image

RetailPrincess 15 months ago

Interesting, but personally the sound of a ceiling fan is good for me. I have no idea why. The cool air, and the swooshing sound really does help.

LibertyLiterature profile image

LibertyLiterature 15 months ago

I sometimes use white noise on my mp3 player when trying to work if I'm somewhere distracting... (like near someone watching TV)... it's loud enough to drown it out and generic enough that it doesn't steal your attention from the task at hand!

Joyce F profile image

Joyce F Hub Author 15 months ago

Thanks LibertyLiterature, I've used white noise all my life. My Mom says even as a baby I needed my fan to get to sleep.

Penny Circle profile image

Penny Circle Level 4 Commenter 15 months ago

Very interesting concept which I had not read about before. Good article with plenty to think about. Voted up.

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