People who have troubles falling asleep at night or staying asleep throughout the night might have considered using a white noise machine. If you are one of those people, chances are you have wondered why these machines work in making you fall asleep and how do they do that magic. The main question that comes to everyone’s mind is if sound machines really work or if they just offer the feeling they can induce sleep. The answer to that is not certain because people don’t react to the effect of a sound machine the same way. Still, there is an operating mode that is the key to the functionality of the sound machine. To help you get a bigger picture of how sound machines work, we will try to explain the science behind them.
What is white noise and how it works
Most sound machines feature a white noise function that makes the device emit a buzzing sound that runs continuously. This sound is similar to an operating fan or a purring hat and the secret is the masking effect it has over the surrounding noises. Listening to a continuous white noise brings the brain into a sort of a hypnosis that allows it to ignore the other sounds that might distract it, so it manages to fall asleep and stay asleep the entire night. Imagine yourself sleeping in a quiet room when suddenly you hear a loud disturbing noise like a horn. This will distract your brain and cause you to wake up, something that doesn’t happen while listening to a sound machine. The white noise manages to cover every surrounding sound so that you will enjoy the same peaceful sleeping environment throughout the night.
How come the white noise doesn’t disturb you
Many people have wondered why they can’t manage to fall asleep in a noisy room or beside a partner who is snoring but have to problem falling asleep while listening to white noise. The answer is the sound machine manages to create a white noise of even frequency without any noise fluctuations that could ruin your balance. White noise manages to create a masking effect by creating an even hearing environment that allows you to fall asleep and to not wake up at the slightest noise in the background. This way, you can ignore the other sounds of different frequencies and you will not ruin your sleep by waking up many times during the night.
