Is brown noise good for sleep? Doctor weighs in on this TikTok trend

🗣 Tell us: how does Brown Noise make you feel? 🧠✨

➡️ Would you try it out at work, school or when sleeping? 😴#adhdhacks #adhdtips #brownnoise #adhdlife #adhdsupport #adhd pic.twitter.com/MK51ygBbcQ

— done. (@doneadhd) December 15, 2022

It adds that it has nothing to do with colour, and that brown noise gets its name from the 19th-century Scottish botanist Robert Brown, who discovered “a certain kind of random microscopic motion that is now referred to as Brownian motion”.

Brown noise is also static noise, like white and pink noise, but what sets it apart is the fact that brown noise contains lower frequencies than white and pink. It is more soothing to the ears; one may feel they are listening to the waves of an ocean, a river flowing or a waterfall. Here is an example.

Per the Conversation article, some people may be “more sensitive to external stimuli than others”, and it includes “human touch (such as hugs), strong smells, caffeine, bright lights, or noise”. This is the reason why while some like to sleep in absolute silence and may find any kind of sound annoying, others may find it to be soothing or relaxing.

According to a 1990 study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, 80 per cent of 40 newborns studied were found to fall asleep within five minutes of listening to the white noise; brown noise is a variation of it. Say, for instance, you want to focus on your breaths, or you are working and want to concentrate on the task — brown noise may be able to mask traffic noise, honking, screaming, television, talking, etc., allowing you to feel less distracted.

Thanks tiktok for introducing me to brown noise. Now i cant sleep without it. Strangely makes me feel safe, and at peace. Definitely lulling me to sleep. And it’s so quiet. In my head. I love it

— ᴀᴀᴀᴀʟɪᴀᴀᴀシ (@alxcmyu) June 27, 2022

Dr Praveen Gupta, principal director and head, department of neurology at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram told indianexpress.com that brown noise is a spectrum of the white noise, also sometimes called the red noise. “It is low frequency, heavy-bass sound, which contains generations of sonic hues thought to be calming to the mind, or improving sleep,” he said, adding that data available on it is insufficient, on whether it is a “scientifically-accepted explanation”.

Tip to all writers, particularly those with ADHD. Try listening to brown noise on loop as you write. It’s very soothing, drowns out other distracting noises, and calms the brain weasels. pic.twitter.com/qbasEH7Ff7

— Gabrielle Kent (@GabrielleKent) December 12, 2022

The doctor, however, said that certain sound frequencies can help synchronise the mind. “It can lead to calmness, improved attention, and sleep, the latter of which actually requires good mind synchronisation by cutting extra thought processes.”

So, if you are someone who enjoys listening to brown noise that sounds like waves crashing, you may be able to wind down and enjoy that nap, or get some work done!

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