Still, there are likely other reasons behind pink noise’s link to disrupted sleep. While the researchers didn’t dive into that, Dr. Basner says pink noise “likely interacts with structures deep in the brain that are responsible for initiating and maintaining REM sleep.”
Any kind of sound during REM sleep has been shown to decrease how long you stay in REM sleep, Praveen Rudraraju, MD, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Northwell’s Northern Westchester and Phelps hospitals, tells SELF. However, he points out that factors like the type of noise, level of noise, and how long it lasts can play a role in how disruptive it ends up being. Meaning, it’s not shocking that people had the hardest time sleeping when they were exposed to aircraft noise.
The findings also have implications for other sleep sounds.
It’s easy to feel a little smug if you’re a diehard fan of white noise or ocean waves over the trendier pink noise. But doctors say these findings likely apply to all ambient sounds during sleep.
“White noise, pink noise…I don’t think that one is more dangerous than the other,” says W. Christopher Winter, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician with Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine and host of the Sleep Unplugged podcast. “Silence is still best.”
Dr. Basner agrees. “It is likely that other types of broadband noise like white noise or brown noise have similar effects, but additional studies are needed to show this more conclusively,” he says.
But, of course, everyone is different. “Individuals are affected differently by noise, as responses vary from person to person,” Dr. Rudraraju says. “Some people require a quiet environment, and even minimal noise can disrupt their sleep quality. Others report benefits [of ambient noise], which may vary based on age group, clinical setting, and the specific characteristics of the noise.”
Doctors recommend skipping ambient noise, if you can.
“If you can do without it, do without it,” Dr. Winter says. “There’s nothing wrong with silence.” But there are a few caveats here. If you’re trying to sleep in a noisy place or your partner isn’t the quietest sleeper, Dr. Winter says that ambient noise may be helpful for sleep.
