Green Noise Could Be The Answer To Getting A Great Night's Sleep
If stress is keeping you wide awake at night, it might be time for you to tune into some green noise.
According to sleep experts, green noise is one of the least talked about variations of white noise – but in the last month, it has received 32,000 worldwide Google searches and has seen a 425% search interest increase in the past five years.
Why? Well, you can thank TikTok for that. Green noise is taking the app by storm with #greennoise receiving 916.9k views as the trend grows more and more appealing to those who didn’t even know it existed.
But what the heck is it and how can it help us get a peaceful night’s rest?
What is green noise?
You might have heard of other noise colours before – white noise (like the classic example of a radio tuning) is spread across the sound spectrum, cascading through low and high frequencies, and brown noise focuses on deeper, low-frequency sounds.
We’ve even tried out brown noise here at HuffPost UK to see if its effects helped us focus.
Martin Seeley, sleep expert at MattressNextDay, explains that green noise “is a variation of white noise in the middle of the spectrum. But as its name suggests, many of the sounds are what we would consider nature. Think of it like ocean waves.”
@calm they say it’s all about the #brownnoise but we’re undecided. Does #greennoise give you a better brain break? ????
♬ original sound - Calm
“Green noise frequency is not particularly high – the higher the frequency gets, the more sensitive we are – so it is good for those who like ambient noise in the background when trying to sleep,” says Seeley.
Green noise lies in the centre of the frequency spectrum and has a limited frequency range that centres around 500Hz – making it sound like waves on a beach.
“Some great examples of green noise can be the sound of water on a beach, or trickling waterfalls – anything that is attuned to nature and promotes relaxation. If you are struggling with stress in everyday life, this type of noise could help restore some sense of calm,” Seeley continues.
@sound2soothela Green noise ???????? #greennoise#naturesounds#soundsforsleep#fyp#sound2soothe#whitenoise#calmyourmind
♬ original sound - Sound2Soothe
How to incorporate green noise into your sleep schedule
- Test out green noise using sleep apps or Spotify. You can also download apps that have green noise soundscapes. Some examples are SimplyNoise, Rainy Mood and even the Calm app.
- Use headphones when playing green noise where possible. If you need to block out external noises, headphones or even noise eye masks might help you understand the different sounds to sleep to. You may also need to experiment with different volumes to find the right level to send you off to sleep.
- Give yourself time to adapt to the noise. If you, or your partner, are trying a different type of noise to sleep, give yourself time to adjust. It can take two to three nights to climatise, so don’t worry if you struggle the first night.