5 ms·

"However, a recent study in the JAMA Journal of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery states that white noise’s lack of structure can worsen tinnitus symptoms. The

by petra 5y ago

"However, a recent study in the JAMA Journal of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery states that white noise’s lack of structure can worsen tinnitus symptoms. The study researchers also suggest that white noise could possibly “accelerate the ageing of the brain” and increase the risk for dementia" Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-abstract/2697852 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/article-...

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago
Hmmm, I wonder what implications that has for those of us who like to sleep with a fan.
- amelius 5y ago
  Or walking by the sea (though that's more akin to pink noise, I think)
- krackers 5y ago
  I'm skeptical about generalizing those results to more "natural" sounds like fan noise. As others have mentioned true white noise is very unnatural due to its uniform power spectrum. Pink and brown noise though seem more natural due to the dampening at higher frequencies, and I'd bet things like fan noise, rainfall, waterfall, etc. lie somewhere along the 1/f^alpha for alpha > 1 (in between pink and brown). I'm sure that we've evolved to handle things like noisy nights (thunder, rainfall) and living near rivers. You probably don't want to go beyond 50db though. But to be on the safe side I'm going to turn by fan one notch down (40db -> 30db) to be on the safe side.
  - jjeaff 5y ago
    Ya, I would think there would have been some correlations drawn by now between hearing loss and living by the ocean or something.
  - fouc 5y ago
    Nature sounds like rainfall & ocean waves vary a lot I imagine, with lots of breaks and pauses, the lack of a continuous sound probably helps. A fan that's rotating back and forth might produce neurologically better sounds, as the breeze bounces off different parts of the room than one that is fixed in one direction?
    - krackers 5y ago
      Actually hm I just tried a hearing test at https://hearingtest.online https://hearingtest.online (very well done site, read the sidebar notes) and I seem to have a characteristic 4khz dip. I don't listen to music with headphones and have never gone to concerts, perhaps the years of fan noise at night did indeed contribute to this.
magicalhippo 5y ago
Interesting given the studies that show noise pollution from roads etc lead to similar conclusions[1], even when taking air pollution into account. Similar effect at hand? [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/09/transport-noise-linked-to-increased-risk-of-dementia-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/09/transport-no...
ehnto 5y ago
Anecdotal, but white noise sends my tinnitus wild. If the white noise is loud enough, you won't necessarily hear the change until it's turned off, but after that my ears are positively screaming. Same is true of other kinds of background noise, such as computer fans, air conditioners or driving in a car. A while ago, based on some self study, I tried to 'fix' my tinnitus by targeting it with specific frequencies rather than noise, and that provided temporary relief by actually reducing the perception of the tinnitus briefly (like 5 minutes). But white noise has always increased it.

by petra 5y ago

SketchySeaBeast 5y ago

Hmmm, I wonder what implications that has for those of us who like to sleep with a fan.

amelius 5y ago
Or walking by the sea (though that's more akin to pink noise, I think)
krackers 5y ago
I'm skeptical about generalizing those results to more "natural" sounds like fan noise. As others have mentioned true white noise is very unnatural due to its uniform power spectrum. Pink and brown noise though seem more natural due to the dampening at higher frequencies, and I'd bet things like fan noise, rainfall, waterfall, etc. lie somewhere along the 1/f^alpha for alpha > 1 (in between pink and brown). I'm sure that we've evolved to handle things like noisy nights (thunder, rainfall) and living near rivers. You probably don't want to go beyond 50db though. But to be on the safe side I'm going to turn by fan one notch down (40db -> 30db) to be on the safe side.
- jjeaff 5y ago
  Ya, I would think there would have been some correlations drawn by now between hearing loss and living by the ocean or something.
- fouc 5y ago
  Nature sounds like rainfall & ocean waves vary a lot I imagine, with lots of breaks and pauses, the lack of a continuous sound probably helps. A fan that's rotating back and forth might produce neurologically better sounds, as the breeze bounces off different parts of the room than one that is fixed in one direction?
  - krackers 5y ago
    Actually hm I just tried a hearing test at https://hearingtest.online https://hearingtest.online (very well done site, read the sidebar notes) and I seem to have a characteristic 4khz dip. I don't listen to music with headphones and have never gone to concerts, perhaps the years of fan noise at night did indeed contribute to this.

magicalhippo 5y ago

Interesting given the studies that show noise pollution from roads etc lead to similar conclusions[1], even when taking air pollution into account. Similar effect at hand? [1]: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/09/transport-noise-linked-to-increased-risk-of-dementia-study-finds https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/sep/09/transport-no...

ehnto 5y ago

Anecdotal, but white noise sends my tinnitus wild. If the white noise is loud enough, you won't necessarily hear the change until it's turned off, but after that my ears are positively screaming. Same is true of other kinds of background noise, such as computer fans, air conditioners or driving in a car. A while ago, based on some self study, I tried to 'fix' my tinnitus by targeting it with specific frequencies rather than noise, and that provided temporary relief by actually reducing the perception of the tinnitus briefly (like 5 minutes). But white noise has always increased it.