White Noise and Sleep Sounds

FAMILY · UNITED KINGDOM

White Noise and Sleep Sounds

How it helps, the volume limit that matters, placement and dependence

White noise helps some people and some babies sleep, and there is one specific safety point about it that is frequently missed.

Volume is the safety issue

Studies have found that many infant sleep machines can produce sound levels loud enough to risk hearing damage with prolonged exposure. Paediatric guidance commonly suggests keeping levels at or below about 50 decibels at the baby's ear.

As a practical rule, it should be no louder than a quiet shower and you should be able to talk over it easily. Use a phone sound meter app to check rather than guessing.

Placement

At least two metres from the cot, and never inside it or attached to it. Cords must be secured well away, since any cord near a sleeping baby is a strangulation risk.

Why it works

It masks sudden noises — a door, a car, a sibling — rather than being soothing in itself. That is why it helps most in noisy environments and shared houses.

It does not replace a dark, cool room and a consistent routine, which do more.

Dependence

Babies and adults can come to rely on it, which matters if you travel or the machine fails. Using it consistently is fine, and having a portable option or being able to fade it out over time is worth planning for.

Adults

Useful for shift workers, light sleepers and anyone near a road. The same volume principle applies — loud enough to mask, quiet enough to be unobtrusive.

Types of sound

White noise is even across frequencies and can sound harsh. Pink and brown noise emphasise lower frequencies and many people find them easier.

Adults and tinnitus

Sound enrichment is a recognised part of tinnitus management, and a low-level background sound makes the ringing less noticeable at night. Keep it below the level of the tinnitus rather than masking it entirely.

Persistent tinnitus, particularly in one ear or with hearing loss, needs a doctor.

Sleep environment generally

Dark, cool and consistent does more than any device. Around sixteen to nineteen degrees suits most adults and sixteen to twenty a nursery, which is cooler than most bedrooms are kept.

Blackout blinds, a consistent wake time and no screens in the hour before bed are the interventions with the strongest evidence.

Buying one

Check whether it loops seamlessly rather than fading out, whether it has a timer, and whether it works without an app, since a device that needs a phone is a device that fails when the phone is elsewhere.

Safe sleep

On the back, in a clear cot on a firm flat mattress, in the parents' room for the first six months.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Zello Sleep? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Zello Sleep — official site

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