Restful sleep is essential for both physical and mental health, yet it is usually one of the first things to be sacrificed. Year-on-year research shows Britons experience trouble sleeping, with the latest stats showing that 36% of the adults in the UK struggle to fall asleep at least once a week.
A new online tool, Sound of Wellness, aims to cure everyday issues through the power of coloured noise. White noise has been a front-and-centre favourite, but recently experts have been speaking out about the benefits of different colour frequency noises, such as pink, brown and green noise, in addition to white.
The tool was created by Currys along withpsychologist, neuroscientist andsleep expert, Dr Lindsay Browning and professor of Psychology at the Goldsmith University of London, Joydeep Bhattacharya to discover the benefits of particular sounds for different issues.
Listen to Pink or Green noise to help you drift off
White noise, the most well-known sound colour that includes TV or radio static, or the “noise” that a fan makes may make you focus better, but this is not the pleasant soundtrack that will get your mind to wind down to slumber.
Sounds that can help with the quality of sleep are described as pink noise and green noise.
Pink noise sounds similar to nature’s rustling leaves, steady rain, wind or our own heartbeat. This is noise with a logarithmic scale, which means its low frequencies are louder and higher ones quieter. Pink noise can help you evoke a deeper, less fragmented sleep that helps focus and concentration.
Listening to these kinds of noise before sleep is especially beneficial for people living in big cities, whose background is filled with shouts from the neverending street nightlife, says Dr Browning.
“It has been suggested that listening to background noise, such as pink noise, during the night can be helpful for people with insomnia. This is because, if your sleep is disturbed by external noises waking you up, such as from a barking dog or police sirens, then playing background noise can help to mask those noise interruptions. Pink noise is a background sound which is more pleasant to listen to than white noise because it contains quieter high-frequency sounds which some people can find shrill.”, explains Browning.
Green noise is similar to pink noise but sounds more natural and is more pleasant to listen to, it sounds like rumbling rivers, trickling waterfalls and waves crashing on the beach. It is a matter of preference, and the best thing is to try the sounds.
6 tips to help you sleep better!
Listening to pink and green noise before sleep is one way to improve quality, but it is not the only thing that will assure better sleep quality.
Dr. Browning suggests following these several sleeping tips.
- Stick to a sleep schedule
Waking up and going to sleep at the same time every day can reinforce your circadian rhythm (body clock). By sticking to a routine, your body will already be ready for shuteye at a certain time and it will be easier to nod off.
- More sunlight, better sleep
Your body clock works much better if exposed to sunlight as it tunes up to day/ night. A simple walk outside during the daytime can do the trick.
- Bed is only for sleeping
Breakfast in bed may be tempting, as well as opening a bag of crisps and binge-watching a favourite TV show. However, a bed should only be for sex and sleeping. Using your bed for anything else will cause your brain to associate the space with other activities, making it harder to drop off when bedtime comes around.
- Limiting screen time
Blue light is on the same wavelength as daylight, which can trick your body into not producing melatonin, the natural hormone that controls your sleep cycle. Limiting screen time to two hours before bed can improve sleep quality.
- Creating a calm space
A bedroom should be an oasis of peace, as much as possible, so creating an ambient that’s free of external noise and light may be another factor that influences a good night sleep. If not possible, investing in an eye mask and ear plugs is also an option.
- Cut down on caffeine
The mean half-life of caffeine in plasma of healthy individuals is about 5 hours. However, caffeine’s elimination half-life may range between 1.5 and 9.5 hours depending on the person. This means caffeinated drinks should be limited as the day progresses and stopped entirely around 5 hours before bedtime to aid sleep.
