What noise is it anyway?

I imagine you’ve heard of white noise as a way to help you sleep or focus better.

But have you heard of pink, brown, or green noise? It’s a veritable rainbow out here!

Why does noise help you sleep, anyway?

A theory called stochastic resonance states that when you listen to white noise, your brain can notice harder-to-detect sounds that you’d otherwise ignore. So, by listening to white noise, you might be able to listen to or concentrate on other stimuli more easily. 

Since both internal and external signals can distract us and interrupt our thought process, white noise and other types of noise can help tune out some of those internal and external cues to help you better concentrate on the task at hand. 

There’s been anecdotal evidence and research recently on how listening to different types of noise might even be able to assist people with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) to focus better, as it can help filter out distracting background stimuli like a faucet dripping or construction outside.

First, what’s white noise?

White noise is essentially a noise that includes all the spectrum’s frequencies of audible sound equally. Many people describe it as similar to the static of a radio or TV, pre-Hulu days.

That neighbor listening to Tom Petty at 3 AM, fighting opossums in the backyard, your darling’s snare drum snore — it’s not the sound itself that bothers you, but the onset of sound in a previously quiet environment. 

White noise blurs out those onsets of sounds so you can sleep. Back in the Neanderthal days, human ancestors were able to sleep through familiar sounds, like birds or other people ruching around in sleep, but unfamiliar noises like a potential predator would rouse them.

Translating that to modern life, the sound of your refrigerator’s ice machine might not wake you, but the sound of your cat knocking over your Schitt’s Creek diorama might.

Okay, so what’s pink noise?

Pink noise is similar to white noise as they’re both ambient sound, but pink noise includes much lower pitches and is meant to be more soothing. Because of its higher depth and sound wave focus, it filters out higher-pitched noises and can be very relaxing.

My good girlfriend Spotify has an 8.5-hour playlist of pink noise – perfect for focusing on putting together the perfect menu for your Pride dinner party or studying for your next politics exam. Dare I say that I’m listening to it right…now? That layered with “Summertime in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful, of course.

And what’s this green noise?

The idea of green noise is to provide background noise at a deeper frequency that mimics the ambient sound of a natural environment — think a forest or a quiet park. 

Green noise can help with studying, focusing on to-dos at work, and sleeping.

Brown noise? I’ve never heard of that.

Brown noise is a more rumbling noise that is deeper than both pink and white noises. It hearkens to a thunderstorm or a heavy-pressure shower. 

Listening to brown noise means that we can hear every frequency that our ear can detect simultaneously. The noise effect may feel pleasantly immersive.

So how do I choose the best color of background noise for me?

Try out white noise, pink noise, green noise, and brown noise, and see how your brain and mind react! 

For many people, all of them are pleasant, and for others, some are more effective than others.

Happy listening!