But a smarter way to mask noise is to choose the color with higher intensity in the frequencies matching that of the noise you’re trying to block, explained sound engineer Stéphane Pigeon. The white, pink, and brown noises you tend to find in sound generators can all mask annoying sounds to varying degrees, if you turn the volume up enough. To understand how noises mask each other, we spent hours talking on the phone and emailing with Stéphane Pigeon, PhD, a sound engineer specializing in white noise and the creator of myNoise, our favorite white noise app. (ASTI), the maker of two of our picks, the LectroFan EVO and the Sound+Sleep. We also interviewed UPenn scientist Mathias Basner, MD, PhD, a professor of sleep and chronobiology in the department of psychiatry who co-authored a clinical review of studies on the use of white noise as a sleep aid, as well as Stanford University sleep researcher Rafael Pelayo, MD, author of How to Sleep: The New Science-Based Solutions for Sleeping Through the Night and a medical consultant to Adaptive Sound Technologies Inc. To learn what features to look for in white noise machines, we spoke with Michael Perlis, PhD, director of the behavioral sleep medicine program at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine whose work includes studying the use of white noise machines in treating insomnia. We also have guidance on using a white noise machine for a baby. The Sound+Sleep excels at nature sounds, and if you’re looking for an app, myNoise is the best.įor more ways to find peace and quiet, see our guides to the best earplugs for sleeping, the best noise-cancelling headphones, and the best sleep headphones. If you know you prefer fanlike noises, you may like the Yogasleep Dohm.

After testing a total of 22 popular devices and apps against an array of annoying noises since 2016, as well as interviewing a range of experts-including sleep researchers and audio engineers-we’ve concluded that the LectroFan EVO is the most effective nuisance-noise blocker for the price.

These machines can also drown out distracting sounds during the day to help you focus. White noise machines generate sounds to mask the assorted yapping dogs, clanky radiators, and late-night parties that can leave us anxious, seething, and awake. Sign up for Wirecutter's Top Picks newsletter to get independent reviews, expert advice, and the very best deals sent straight to your inbox.

Simple airplanes to draw