Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow Do Colors Have Noise?What Makes Brown Noise vs. White Noise vs. Pink Noise Different?Which Color of Noise Is Best for Me?Ways to Listen to Brown, White, and Pink Noise
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How Do Colors Have Noise?
What Makes Brown Noise vs. White Noise vs. Pink Noise Different?
Which Color of Noise Is Best for Me?
Ways to Listen to Brown, White, and Pink Noise
This article will discuss what noise colors are, what distinguishes between them, and how they may be beneficial.
Motortion / Getty Images
First, How Do Colors Have Noise?
The practice of naming noises after colors started with white noise. Just as white light is assumed to have a flat power spectrum over the entire visible range, white noise works similarly with sound, having equal power at all audible frequencies.
While white noise vs. brown noise vs. pink noise can sound similar, there are subtle differences.
White Noise
White noise has been associated with:
Some studies suggest it may also help relieve pain and crying in colicky babies.
In addition to engineered sound, examples of white noise include:
Pink Noise
Like white noise, pink noise contains all the frequencies audible to the human ear (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz), but the higher frequencies are less powerful than the lower frequencies.
This gives pink noise a softer, more balanced sound, reminiscent of many sounds found in nature.
Pink noise is commonly considered more pleasing and relaxing than white noise. It is often used for background noise because it is less distracting than other types of noise.
Examples of pink noise include:
Brown Noise
Brown noise has more power in the lower frequencies, giving it a bass-heavy, richer, rumbling sound that is deeper than white and pink noise.It has rich sound-muffling qualities and is thought to improve focus, making it effective for listening to while working.Some research suggests it may help improve concentration.
Examples of brown noise include:
There isn’t a set “best color,” overall or for certain activities. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, and there is overlap, but studies have shown that particular noise colors can be beneficial in certain situations.
For ADHD
Several studies have shown white noise to be helpful for people with ADHD in certain ways. One study found that adding white noise to the environment enhanced the memory performance of children with ADHD symptoms. Conversely, this study found that the added white noise disrupted children whodid not have ADHD symptoms.
Another study found that white noise benefited children and adults with ADHD symptoms. A 2016 pilot study suggests that exposure to 80 decibels (dB) of auditory white background noise can be an alternative or complementary treatment tomedicationfor children withinattentive symptomsin school. It should be noted, however, that prolonged exposure to 80 dB noise will cause permanent noise-induced hearing loss. More research is needed to confirm this potential.
The discrepancy between white noise enhancing the performance of those withinattentive symptomsand impairing those who are highly attentive is suggested to be due to differing levels of neural noise. People with ADHD may have suboptimal dopamine levels, resulting in reduced neural noise levels that negatively impact cognitive performance. It’s proposed that white noise may increase neural noise, thus benefiting those with lower attention but hindering those whose neural noise levels are already optimal.
For Sleep
Research shows promising results for pink noise as beneficial for sleep. Earlier studies found that pink noise helped older adults improve their sleep quality.
While more research is needed, studies suggest pink noise may help decrease thetime it takes to fall asleepand reach deep sleep, in addition to improving sleep quality. The optimal way to administer the pink noise is still being explored, including volume levels, syncing to brain waves, playing in short bursts at strategic times, etc.
Anxiety
In addition to potentially improving concentration levels, brown noise may be beneficial as a technique to address anxiety and enhance relaxation.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?Anxietycan feel different for each person. It may involve feeling worried, on edge, restless, or irritable. It can make it difficult to concentrate on other thoughts and activities.Anxiety can also cause physicalsymptoms, such as heart palpitations, headache, fatigue, sweating, muscle weakness, and chest pain.
What Does Anxiety Feel Like?
Anxietycan feel different for each person. It may involve feeling worried, on edge, restless, or irritable. It can make it difficult to concentrate on other thoughts and activities.Anxiety can also cause physicalsymptoms, such as heart palpitations, headache, fatigue, sweating, muscle weakness, and chest pain.
Anxietycan feel different for each person. It may involve feeling worried, on edge, restless, or irritable. It can make it difficult to concentrate on other thoughts and activities.
Anxiety can also cause physicalsymptoms, such as heart palpitations, headache, fatigue, sweating, muscle weakness, and chest pain.
You can find white, pink, and brown noise in nature, but because it is unlikely to thunderstorm every time youwant to sleep, and you probably don’t have a loud waterfall in your backyard, you may want to find ways to create the sounds in your house.
Simple ways to create white noise include running a fan or turning a tv or radio to static.
For more nuanced and portable white, pink, or brown noise, consider using:
Some things to consider when choosing a method for listening to white, pink, or brown noise include:
Be careful of the volume. Noise above 70 dB can causehearing damagewhen listened to for an extended period. Keep your white, pink, or brown noise well below 45 dB. If this needs to be adjusted for different noise conditions, avoid exceeding 70 dB, particularly for an extended period.
Summary
White noise and pink noise contain all of the frequencies the human ear can hear, but with pink noise, there is more power on thelower frequenciesthan the higher ones. Brown noise is lower than both white and pink noise.
More research is necessary, but studies suggest that white noise may help people with the inattentive symptoms of ADHD. Research has also shown that white and pink noise may help improve certain sleep problems. Brown noise may help with concentration andanxiety.
Frequently Asked QuestionsMore and better research is needed, but some studies suggest that white noise can help people with ADHD with some cognitive abilities; white noise and pink noise may help improve sleep; and brown noise may help with concentration and relaxation.Learn MoreWhat Is Pink Noise?No noise has been shown to treat depression. Some research suggests broad-spectrum sounds such as white or brown noise can help with relaxation, sleep, and/or concentration, but this has not been conclusively proven.Learn MoreHow to Cope With DepressionSome studies suggest brown noise can help with anxiety and relaxation, but more research is needed to verify this.Learn MoreHow to Reduce Racing Thoughts at Night Due to Stress and Insomnia
Frequently Asked Questions
More and better research is needed, but some studies suggest that white noise can help people with ADHD with some cognitive abilities; white noise and pink noise may help improve sleep; and brown noise may help with concentration and relaxation.Learn MoreWhat Is Pink Noise?
More and better research is needed, but some studies suggest that white noise can help people with ADHD with some cognitive abilities; white noise and pink noise may help improve sleep; and brown noise may help with concentration and relaxation.
Learn MoreWhat Is Pink Noise?
No noise has been shown to treat depression. Some research suggests broad-spectrum sounds such as white or brown noise can help with relaxation, sleep, and/or concentration, but this has not been conclusively proven.Learn MoreHow to Cope With Depression
No noise has been shown to treat depression. Some research suggests broad-spectrum sounds such as white or brown noise can help with relaxation, sleep, and/or concentration, but this has not been conclusively proven.
Learn MoreHow to Cope With Depression
Some studies suggest brown noise can help with anxiety and relaxation, but more research is needed to verify this.Learn MoreHow to Reduce Racing Thoughts at Night Due to Stress and Insomnia
Some studies suggest brown noise can help with anxiety and relaxation, but more research is needed to verify this.
Learn MoreHow to Reduce Racing Thoughts at Night Due to Stress and Insomnia
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Söderlund GBW, Björk C, Gustafsson P.Comparing auditory noise treatment with stimulant medication on cognitive task performance in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: results from a pilot study.Front Psychol. 2016;7. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01331.
Angwin AJ, Wilson WJ, Arnott WL, Signorini A, Barry RJ, Copland DA.White noise enhances new-word learning in healthy adults.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):13045. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-13383-3
Farokhnezhad Afshar P, Bahramnezhad F, Asgari P, Shiri M.Effect of white noise on sleep in patients admitted to a coronary care.J Caring Sci.2016;5(2):103-109. doi:10.15171/jcs.2016.011
National Health Service.Signs of an anxiety disorder.
Sleep Foundation.White noise.
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