PARIS, March 14 — The idea of using noise to help you fall asleep might sound absurd, but the concept has already gained millions of followers on social networks, with TikTok in the lead, and has even been proven by experts.

However, it is not about being lulled to sleep by all sorts of sounds, but by specific noises that supposedly help promote sleep and improve sleep quality.

Some people need complete silence to fall asleep peacefully, far from the neighbourhood or traffic noise that can keep them awake. Others, meanwhile, need certain background noises to help them drop off.

In fact, sound from a television, a fan, a vacuum cleaner or the rain could not only make it easier to fall asleep, but also to make sleep more restful.

Although not validated by scientific studies, the merits of these noises are constantly being praised on social networks, with some noises now becoming viral.

For World Sleep Day, March 17, here are some of the sounds that could help you fall asleep faster.

Colours of noise

Not content with offering music, news and podcasts, music streaming services could now be turning to sound therapy.

This practice is very much vogue among younger generations, who don’t hesitate to share hundreds of videos and audio tracks of various noises intended to promote memorisation, concentration and even sleep.

While most people have heard of white noise — which has been the subject of numerous studies, albeit on very limited samples, and which takes the form of pleasant background noises intended to mask more unpleasant ones — fewer people have heard of pink or brown noise, currently all the rage on TikTok.

Each noise has characteristic properties, such as duration, intensity, frequency, or what is called power spectral density. Without getting too technical, this last property can be used to differentiate certain types of noise, as well as to classify them by colour.

This is often correlated with light wave spectra, which explains why noise is associated with different colours.

For example, by analogy with white light, itself composed of all colours of light, white noise is made up of all the frequencies of the sound spectrum, giving rise to monotone, constant noises resembling a slight humming.

The idea is the same for pink noise and brown noise, which have their own characteristic spectra. These two colours of noise are popular on social networks as new aids for memorisation, concentration and sleep.

There are countless videos of users proposing this type of noise to relax, meditate, or even fall asleep live — or almost live — on camera.

On TikTok, the #pinknoise hashtag has already generated some 29 million views, while #brownnoise has nearly 120 million, testifying to the craze for these specific noises that promise beneficial effects for the well-being of users.

Pink noise, ideal for sleep?

According to TikTokers, pink noise seems to be the top choice for helping you fall asleep. Just like white noise, it is similar to a regular humming sound but with much deeper tones.

This supposedly makes it feel more relaxing. With some exceptions, most examples of pink noise are associated with nature, such as the rustling of leaves, rain falling in the distance, or the movement of waves.

These types of noises are said to make it easier to fall asleep, but above all to promote deep sleep. A finding that has been confirmed by a scientific study, although conducted on a relatively small number of participants.

Also popular on TikTok for its sleep benefits, brown noise, which some also call red noise, is apparently more likely to promote relaxation, meditation and concentration.

Unlike the humming of pink noise, this is a kind of rumbling noise that’s more intense and deep in the low frequencies.

This supposedly makes it the ideal noise to help immerse yourself in an oasis of calm, and relax after a stressful day. The sound of a waterfall or distant thunderclaps could therefore constitute perfect sounds for relaxation. — ETX Studio