Are there sounds that promote sleep or relaxation? And what color are they? Some people need silence to fall asleep, others surround themselves with background noise, “white” noise; still others have adopted colored noises whose popularity is growing on social networks, particularly on TikTok. A study looked at brain activity and the color of noises, particularly the ideal color for falling asleep.
Noise to fall asleep to. The idea may seem absurd, and yet it already has millions of followers on the social networkssocial networks, TikTokTikTok in the lead, and has even been validated by experts. However, it is not a question of letting yourself be lulled by all kinds of sounds, but by specific noises which promote falling asleep and the quality of sleep.
Some people need complete silence to fall asleep peacefully, far from the noise of neighbors and traffic that can ruin a night, while others only fall into the arms of Morpheus with certain background noises. Television, fan, vacuum cleanervacuum cleaneror rain would not only make it easier to fall asleep, but also to enjoy a restful sleep.
Something which has not been validated by scientific studies, but whose merits continue to be praised on social networks to the point that certain rumors have gone viral. On the occasion of International Sleep Day, scheduled for March 15, here are some to try to get to sleep more quickly.
Background noise, white noise, colored noise?
Not content with offering music, information, and podcasts, music streaming services could now turn to sound therapies. A popular practice among younger generations who do not hesitate to share hundreds of videos and audios of various and varied noises intended to promote memorization, concentration, and even falling asleep. While most people know the white noisewhite noisewhich have been the subject of numerous studies, although on very limited panels, and take the form of pleasant background noises intended to hide more unpleasant ones, fewer people have already heard of pink noise or brown noises, colored noises, which are currently a hit on TikTok.
See noises in color
You should know that each noise has characteristic properties, such as durationduration, intensity, frequency, or what we call power spectral density. Without going into too technical considerations, this last property will make it possible to differentiate certain types of noise, but also to distinguish them by colorcolor. All often correlated with the spectraspectra light waves, hence the fact that noises are (also) associated with colors. For example, by analogyanalogy with the lightlight white noise, itself made up of all colored lights, white noise is made up of all the frequencies of the sound spectrum, and results in monotonous noises resembling a slight hum.
The principle is the same for pink noise and brown noise which are establishing themselves on social networks as the new aids for memorization, attention, and sleep. We can no longer count the videos of users offering this type of noise to relax, meditate, or even fall asleep live – or almost – in front of the camera. On TikTok, the hashtags #pinknoise and #brownnoise have millions of views, demonstrating the popularity of these specific noises that are likely beneficial for the well-being of users.
What is the ideal color for sleep?
According to TikTokers, pink noise is the one that most promotes falling asleep. Just like white noise, it would be similar to a regular hum but with much deeper sounds. In fact, it would be felt more relaxing. Most examples of pink noise, with a few exceptions, are associated with nature, such as the rustling of leaves, the rain falling in the distance, or the movementmovement of the waveswaves. These types of noises would make it easier to fall asleep, but above all would promote deep sleep. An observation confirmed by a scientific study, although carried out on a very limited number of participants.
Also popular on TikTok for its benefits on sleep, brown or brown noise, which some also call red noise, would be more likely to promote relaxation, meditation, and concentration. Unlike pink noise, it would not result in a buzzing sound but not a kind of rumbling, more intense and deep in the low frequencies. Something that would make it the ideal noise to immerse yourself in a bubble of serenity, and relax after a stressful day. The sound of a waterfall or shots of thunderthunder distant sounds would therefore be perfect sounds for relaxing.
