2 ms·

I wonder if it's the dissonance & unpredictability of this noise that contributes to the sleep impairment. Or if it's the duration of the sounds throughout the

I wonder if it's the dissonance & unpredictability of this noise that contributes to the sleep impairment. Or if it's the duration of the sounds throughout the sleep period. I make this assumption because music is known to aid sleep: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4228707.stm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4228707.stm

yesimahuman 16y ago
Or perhaps why a loud fan (that doesn't click or make strange noises) is great for sleeping, in my very sound sensitive experience?
- mikeleeorg 16y ago
  Perhaps that loud fan is generating enough gentle white noise for you. A quote from the below article states: "Some people benefit from white noise, or fans. Make sure you have effective blinds, or earplugs, if they help. It's all about reducing distractions and sending a message to your brain about your safety." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/dont-sleep-longer-ndash-sleep-smarter-1994018.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/... Interestingly, as I was doing my "research" (well, just some web searches really), I came across studies that claimed white noise can impair brain development in sleeping baby rats: "When baby rats listened to white noise for prolonged periods of time, a part of the brain responsible for hearing, called the auditory cortex, didn't develop properly. However, when the noise was taken away, the young rats' brains were able to resume normal development." http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/97/white_noise_may_delay_babys_speech/index.html http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/97/white_noise_may_dela... I haven't found any articles showing whether or not this phenomenon has been tested on humans yet. I suppose one takeaway from all of this research is that we need to continue doing more research.
byw 16y ago
Every morning I habitually turn on the radio, which is tuned to white noise to drown out the streets.

yesimahuman 16y ago

Or perhaps why a loud fan (that doesn't click or make strange noises) is great for sleeping, in my very sound sensitive experience?

mikeleeorg 16y ago
Perhaps that loud fan is generating enough gentle white noise for you. A quote from the below article states: "Some people benefit from white noise, or fans. Make sure you have effective blinds, or earplugs, if they help. It's all about reducing distractions and sending a message to your brain about your safety." http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/dont-sleep-longer-ndash-sleep-smarter-1994018.html http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/... Interestingly, as I was doing my "research" (well, just some web searches really), I came across studies that claimed white noise can impair brain development in sleeping baby rats: "When baby rats listened to white noise for prolonged periods of time, a part of the brain responsible for hearing, called the auditory cortex, didn't develop properly. However, when the noise was taken away, the young rats' brains were able to resume normal development." http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/97/white_noise_may_delay_babys_speech/index.html http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/97/white_noise_may_dela... I haven't found any articles showing whether or not this phenomenon has been tested on humans yet. I suppose one takeaway from all of this research is that we need to continue doing more research.

byw 16y ago

Every morning I habitually turn on the radio, which is tuned to white noise to drown out the streets.