Brown noise has been doing the rounds on TikTok as the latest trend for deep sleep, relaxation, and focus, but can brown noise improve your workouts, too? We sifted through the science to find out.
A restless night’s sleep is common, especially at this time of year. According to the Sleep Foundation (Opens in a new tab)Nearly half of Americans say they feel very sleepy during the day, with 35.2% naps getting less than the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night. This can have a significant impact on energy levels, focus, and exercise effectiveness.
If you’re not familiar with the subtle tones of brown noise, we cover what they are and some of the perceived benefits of brown noise below. We also provide a video that you can follow for better sleep, boosted energy levels, and more effective exercises, curated by the #1 meditation and sleep app calm (Opens in a new tab). Find out if 8 hours of sleep is enough, or read on to find out more.
@calm (Opens in a new tab)
♬ original sound – Calm (Opens in a new tab)
What is brown noise?
You may have seen brown noise videos circulating on TikTok under #brownnoise. The trend picked up a massive cult following in ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) groups and later spread around the world, with viewers reporting deep calm, focus, and reduced stress levels after listening to brown noise.
Plenty of curated Spotify and YouTube playlists are now widely available for free, but is science backing them up?
Science tells us that sounds have “colors” defined by the bandwidth of frequencies. Who knows? Brown noise is a low-frequency sound with minimal sound variations, so instead of changing velocities and pitches, the sound has a slight difference in pitches. You can expect soft low noises like thunder, strong wind, ocean, heavy rain or the gentle hum of an airplane.
The term was coined in the 19th century by botanist Robert Brown (so it has nothing to do with color, then), who discovered Brownian motion (Opens in a new tab) – A random type of movement pattern simulated by the brown noise. It produces a deeper, richer sound, also known as red noise.
How is brown noise different from white or pink noise?
Brown noise is deeper and coarser than pink and white noise and has higher “energies” at lower frequencies. White noise refers to a static sound — similar to the fuzz from leaving an old TV on for too long — that has equal energy at all frequencies, and Pink noise (Opens in a new tab) is a broadband noise often used in the audio technology testing world. It has more power in the lower frequency ranges, so it sounds less like a waterfall or running water.
but while Research (Opens in a new tab) White and pink noise have been shown to improve sleep quality and concentration, and there is less strong evidence for brown noise. Despite this, social media promotes brown noise as the perfect way to go out and relax due to its duller tones. Lately, it’s been back in the mainstream, and it’s stacked up 95 million views on TikTok (Opens in a new tab).
What are the benefits of brown noise?
Unfortunately, the science is limited in favor of brown noise, but one school of thought is that if white and pink noise are beneficial, brown noise might be, too. Here are some of the perceived benefits:
1. Better sleep
Brown noise is said to create an immersive experience because your ears can detect every available frequency, providing a masking effect on external background noise; It can help people get rid of unwanted noise and reduce sleep disturbance.
During sleep, part of your brain is still able to sense and respond to sound. You only need to visit the city to know how wild the traffic, music and sirens can be late at night. Brown noise frequencies act as “sonic masks,” meaning they drown out isolated, loud sounds by playing at a sustained frequency. Some research has shown that White noise can improve sleep quality and latency (Opens in a new tab), but not brown noise specifically. However, people reported less outside noise and distraction.
2. Reduce stress
We already know techniques like breathing and meditation (you can access deep sleep meditation here) to kick-start the parasympathetic nervous system—your body’s way of relaxing after you’ve fallen asleep.fight or flightresponse to stress. But brown noise can have the same calming effect.
Brown noise is primarily beneficial for people with busy minds and those who struggle with anxiety or overthinking – especially those with ADHD. Those who documented their experience on social media reported having less internal conversation or repetitive thoughts, which put them in a calmer, more peaceful state after listening to the brown noise on loop.
This could be due to the masking effect acting as a beneficial anxiety blanket for your ears and brain, and some evidence shows that it may be due to “random resonance,” but more on that below.
3. Enhance focus
People who have listened to brown noise consider it a good work or exercise soundtrack because it can reduce distracting noises and improve focus – also known as Hearing masking (Opens in a new tab). However, there is limited evidence to support this.
That said, A.J Small pilot study (Opens in a new tab) He mentions “random resonance,” which refers to a certain amount of exposure to auditory noise (such as white or brown noise) that can improve performance in a brain that’s not working at its best. The study found that this helped people with ADHD perform tasks better, silencing conversion processes to help them focus on tasks.
People with ADHD have low levels of dopamine (the hormone responsible for attention, memory, and motivation) and can feel overstimulated in any given environment. For example, “background chatter” such as turning on the television cannot be filtered out by the brain and instead feels disorienting. Brown noise can “turn on the brain,” removing distractions and keeping a person focused.
4. More efficient workouts
Listening to brown noise in headphones can help you exercise more efficiently due to increased focus and concentration. Multiple studies (Opens in a new tab) It’s shown that music boosts mood, reduces perceived stress (how lost you feel) during exercise, and sparks some serious motivation.
But this is subjective and depends on variables such as lyrics, BPM (beats per minute), and type of exercise. Although I’m a little better than Taylor Swift when I’m lifting weights, the low-level frequency and minimal sonic variations of brown noise can help you zone in during a tough workout session. There are even brown noise workout playlists on Spotify that you can try.
bottom line
A recent 2020 review of studies in Noise as a sleep aid (Opens in a new tab) I found conflicting results on whether any constant noise at night can help you drift off. Interestingly, white noise played through headphones produced better results than without.
Our team has tested and selected some of the best headphones for sleeping if you plan to give brown noise a try. As a warning, although there are no reported risks directly associated with brown noise, constantly blasting sound into your ears is not a recipe for success. Try to limit your exposure to short bursts or put your smartphone on a timer, keeping the volume low.
We also recommend checking with a medical professional if you have any existing health conditions. Access the best sleep apps and best sleep music for more ways to ease your sleep, find your zen, and prime your energy levels for a better workout.
[ad_2]
