It depends on how loud sound machines are played during a sustained period, according to sleep doctors. Many people opt for “white noise” devices to get a better night’s rest overall, but are they safe to use all night, every night? What used to be a nuisance — a snowy screen indicating a bad antenna or TV signal—now serves a very different, very popular purpose: falling asleep. “White noise” machines used as sleep aids have boomed in popularity, with some global market estimates valued at just over a billion dollars in 2024. “It’s often used to mask our environmental noise, and so, it can help to improve sleep and may help to mask sounds that might otherwise disturb sleep, such devices are great at drowning out surrounding noise—things like a snoring partner, a child in the next room, or outside traffic sounds. But is a white noise device or app safe for chronic, long-term use, and could there be any cognitive impacts? Peters-Mathews said the nature of white noise’s continuous, “even” sound should make it okay. So the safe decibel level for white noise in babies is less than 50 decibels, which is equivalent to a quiet refrigerator or a gentle rainfall. So it’s fairly quiet,” Peters-Mathews explained. “For adults, we generally like to keep it under 70, so more sustained above 70.”
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Sunday, October 12, 2025