---
title: "White Noise Meditation: What It Is, How It Works, Cited Research & Best Free Videos"
description: "White Noise Meditation is the practice of using white noise, a steady sound containing all audible frequencies in equal measure, as a meditation object or as a calming acoustic backdrop for other practice."
canonical: "https://insighttimer.com/techniques/sound-healing/white-noise-meditation"
category: "Sound Healing"
last_reviewed: "2026-07-28"
---

# What is White Noise Meditation?

White Noise Meditation is the practice of using white noise, a steady sound containing all audible frequencies in equal measure, as a meditation object or as a calming acoustic backdrop for other practice (Shavit & Ilan, 2025), (Nigg et al., 2024).

**Evidence: Indirect Evidence.** The direct evidence is narrow and subgroup-dependent, concentrated in distractible or under-aroused people rather than general meditators, and drawn largely from ambient-sound studies rather than trials of the practice. One controlled study found no effect on mood or stress versus sham noise. The attention-regulation mechanism is plausible, but broad relaxation benefits are not established, so the support stays indirect.

Last updated: 2026-07-28

We are still reviewing this page. Our research team checks every technique page for accuracy and evidence quality before final release. Details may change as that review completes. The evidence badge shows our current reading of the published research.

## Explore White Noise Meditation

- [Smoothed White Noise](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/smoothed-white-noise) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 30 min, rated 4.8/5
- [Soothing White Noise For Meditation, Study, And Rest 4](https://insighttimer.com/RelationshipYogin/guided-meditations/soothing-white-noise-for-meditation-study-and-rest-4) — Cory Lee Davis, Music, 30 min, rated 5.0/5
- [White Noise Sleep Therapy | Continuous Sound (8h)](https://insighttimer.com/Jan-von-Wille/guided-meditations/white-noise-sleep-therapy-continuous-sound-8h) — Jan von Wille, Music, 480 min, rated 4.9/5
- [White Noise For Studying And Help With ADHD](https://insighttimer.com/professortogarashi/guided-meditations/white-noise-for-studying-and-help-with-adhd) — Leon Riskin, Music, 30 min, rated 4.7/5
- [8 Hour White Noise/Ruido Blanco](https://insighttimer.com/marianasequera/guided-meditations/8-hour-white-noise-ruido-blanco) — Mariana Sequera, Music, 480 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Subway Train White Noise Sound Meditation](https://insighttimer.com/desh/guided-meditations/subway-train-white-noise-sound-meditation) — Desh, Music, 117 min, rated 4.9/5

### White Noise Meditation effort level

#### How hard is White Noise Meditation?

**Light** (1 / 4). Press play and let an even wash of white noise cover the room; you can rest attention on the sound or just let it hold the background.

- **Mental Effort** (1 / 4): Nothing needs steering once the sound is playing; you let the even hiss carry your attention.
- **Emotional Depth** (1 / 4): The sound is a neutral blanket, so no particular feeling is being reached for here.
- **Physical Intensity** (1 / 4): Your body does nothing at all; this is pure listening.
- **Prior Knowledge** (1 / 4): Put on headphones or turn on a speaker and you are ready.

## Recommended dose: How Much White Noise Meditation Should You Do?

### beginner

No direct dose-response literature exists for White Noise Meditation as a deliberate practice. The available studies describe passive overnight white-noise masking, autonomic-response experiments, and non-human or infant contexts, none of which establish a meditation session dose. This short, low-commitment starting point is an editorial synthesis based on general meditation conventions.

- Session length: 5–10 minutes. How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.
- Frequency: 3–4 days per week. The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

### intermediate

No direct dose evidence; editorial synthesis. Once a short practice feels comfortable, a moderate step up in duration and frequency reflects typical meditation progression rather than any technique-specific trial finding.

- Session length: 10–20 minutes. How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.
- Frequency: 4–6 days per week. The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

### extended

No direct dose evidence; editorial synthesis. A longer daily maintenance range is offered as a general upper target for established practitioners and is not derived from any dose-response study of this technique.

- Session length: 20–30 minutes. How long each individual practice session should last from start to finish.
- Frequency: 7 days per week. The number of days per week to fit a session into your routine.

*About this card.* These recommendations are not a substitute for personalised guidance from a qualified practitioner. No direct dose-response literature exists for White Noise Meditation, so all guidance here is editorial synthesis based on general practice conventions and should be treated as a starting point only.

## Related techniques to White Noise Meditation

- [Environmental Sound](https://insighttimer.com/techniques/sound-healing/environmental-sound)
- [Rain Sound Meditation](https://insighttimer.com/techniques/sound-healing/rain-sound-meditation)
- [Ambient Sound Meditation](https://insighttimer.com/techniques/sound-healing/ambient-sound-meditation)
- [Pink Noise](https://insighttimer.com/techniques/sound-healing/pink-noise)

## Common questions about White Noise Meditation

### What does the research say about White Noise Meditation?

*evidence*

Moderate evidence supports white noise for sleep, drawn mainly from clinical settings rather than meditation trials. A systematic review of hospitalized adults linked steady masking sound to better sleep efficiency, and a controlled inpatient study found improved sleep alongside lower anxiety and low mood. Some trials find no change in objective sleep.

### Who is White Noise Meditation good for?

*good for*

White Noise Meditation may help adults who feel wired and unable to settle, people bothered by noisy or unpredictable environments, and those wanting a simple, belief-neutral relaxation cue before sleep. Sleep benefits were studied mainly in hospitalized adults, and attention gains appear mostly in people with ADHD traits. It is not a substitute for care.

### Is White Noise Meditation safe?

*safety*

Most healthy adults can use White Noise Meditation safely at gentle volumes. Sustained loud exposure, around 80 decibels, has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress and blood pressure, so loud sound acts as a stressor rather than a relaxant. Infants and anyone with hearing sensitivity warrant extra care, since prolonged high-volume exposure may carry hearing risk.

### How does White Noise Meditation work?

*how it works*

White Noise Meditation works mainly through masking: steady, even sound covers sudden noises that keep the body braced, which may free the nervous system to shift toward its rest-and-recovery branch. Brain measures in healthy adults show quieter activity in the prefrontal cortex, the hub for effortful thinking, so mental effort eases and thoughts slow.

## White Noise Meditation tracks & video

Explore guided sessions to deepen your White Noise Meditation technique.

- [Soothing White Noise [3 Hours]](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/soothing-white-noise-3-hours) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 179 min, rated 4.8/5
- [White Noise Ambience](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/white-noise-ambience) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 59 min, rated 4.8/5
- [Dreamy Brown Noise | 111Hz ](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/dreamy-brown-noise-111hz) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 74 min, rated 4.8/5
- [Sleep Music & White Noise For Calming The Mind At The End Of The Day](https://insighttimer.com/jasonstephenson/guided-meditations/sleep-music-for-calming-the-mind-at-the-end-of-the-day) — Jason Stephenson, Music, 120 min, rated 4.8/5
- [White Noise Sleep Therapy | Continuous Sound (8h)](https://insighttimer.com/Jan-von-Wille/guided-meditations/white-noise-sleep-therapy-continuous-sound-8h) — Jan von Wille, Music, 480 min, rated 4.9/5
- [Brown Noise](https://insighttimer.com/hayleyzammit/guided-meditations/brown-noise-2) — Hayley Zammit, Music, 54 min, rated 4.8/5
- [Ultra Soft Brown Noise (Block Out Distractions & Get A Better Sleep)](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/ultra-soft-brown-noise-block-out-distractions-and-get-a-better-sleep) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 180 min, rated 4.9/5
- [Gentle Sleep Music With Soft White Noise](https://insighttimer.com/musicofwisdom/guided-meditations/gentle-sleep-music-with-soft-white-noise) — Narek Mirzaei | Music Of Wisdom, Music, 42 min, rated 4.8/5
- [White Noise For Blocking Out Distracting Noises](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/white-noise-for-blocking-out-distracting-noises) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 120 min, rated 4.9/5
- [Smoothed White Noise | Relaxing Sounds For Stress Relief, Relaxation & Sleeping](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/smoothed-white-noise-relaxing-sounds-for-stress-relief-relaxation-and-sleeping) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 60 min, rated 4.8/5
- [Baby Sleep Shhh](https://insighttimer.com/danehoward17/guided-meditations/baby-sleep-shhh) — Dane Howard, Music, 72 min, rated 4.9/5
- [Best White Noise For Studying](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/best-white-noise-for-studying) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 60 min, rated 4.8/5

## What does a White Noise Meditation session involve?

White noise is a steady sound carrying all audible frequencies equally; in meditation it is either a featureless object for attention or a backdrop that masks distracting sounds.

The form is minimal: set white noise at a low, comfortable volume and let the even wash fill the space. Attention can be worked two ways, resting receptive, non-grasping awareness directly on the featureless sound field, or using the sound as a masking environment so other practice can proceed without startling interruptions. There is no posture requirement, breath sequence, or lineage script to follow.

This is not binaural beats or isochronic-tone practices, which use engineered frequency differences to target brainwave synchronization; white noise carries roughly equal energy across all frequencies and offers no embedded pulse. It also differs from nature-sound or music meditation, where the sound has recognizable features to follow. Here the point is the sound's featurelessness, an even surface with nothing to track.

### Not to be confused with

- **Binaural beats and brainwave entrainment:** Binaural beats play two slightly different tones, one in each ear, to nudge brain rhythms toward a target frequency, an active entrainment aim. White noise is a single steady wash with no tonal target; it works by masking and steadying arousal rather than by driving a specific brainwave.
- **Tinnitus sound therapy:** Clinical tinnitus therapy uses masking sound to cover internal ringing as part of a medical treatment plan for a hearing condition. White noise meditation uses similar sound but as a relaxation and attention practice, not as a treatment for tinnitus.
- **White noise sleep machine (passive use):** A sleep machine runs white noise passively in the background while you sleep or work. White noise meditation asks you to rest attention deliberately on the sound field, which makes it a practice rather than a set-and-forget aid.

## How does White Noise Meditation work?

White Noise Meditation appears to work mainly through masking: the steady, even sound covers the sudden environmental noises that keep the body braced, which may free the nervous system to shift toward parasympathetic activity, the rest-and-recovery branch that many people notice as tension loosening and breathing steadying (Zhang et al., 2025). A related idea, drawn from attention research in people with ADHD traits rather than from meditation studies, is that a moderate level of steady sound can shift alertness toward a workable middle range, giving scattered attention less to snag on (Göran et al., 2007), (Simon et al., 2016). Both effects depend on a gentle volume, and neither has been confirmed with direct nervous-system measures taken during the practice itself.

### Possible mechanisms

**Arousal Downregulation**

When a steady wash of white noise fills the space, racing, scattered attention has less to snag on. Early research suggests this even backdrop can shift arousal, your overall level of mental alertness, toward a steadier and more workable level, with the clearest gains for people who are easily distracted (Göran et al., 2007), (Simon et al., 2016), (I-Chen et al., 2022).

**Parasympathetic Activation**

When every stray sound keeps the body braced, a steady wash of white noise covers those interruptions and may let the nervous system settle into its parasympathetic, rest-and-recovery branch, the state many people feel as tension loosening and breathing slowing. Early studies link white noise to reduced prefrontal excitability (Zhang et al., 2025) and calmer resting brain activity (Tamariska et al., 2025), though this hasn't been confirmed with direct nervous-system measures during practice and depends on keeping the volume gentle.

**Auditory-Neural Entrainment**

Steady, featureless sound gives attention an even surface to rest against, which can make it easier to stay with one thing instead of following every passing distraction. Early evidence suggests a moderate level of white noise may support focus for some people, especially those who are more easily distracted (Göran et al., 2007), (Helps et al., 2014), (Simon et al., 2016), (I-Chen et al., 2022).

**Sustained Attention**

Scattered attention that gets pulled by every small thing can settle a little when a steady wash of white noise fills the background. Early studies suggest a moderate, constant sound may help some minds hold focus more steadily, an effect seen mostly in people with ADHD traits or naturally lower arousal rather than in everyone (Göran et al., 2007), (Simon et al., 2016), (I-Chen et al., 2022).

## What does White Noise Meditation do to the body?

The most consistently measured change is a quieting of the brain's busy front regions: in a study of 103 healthy college students, activity in the prefrontal cortex, the hub for effortful, goal-directed thinking, decreased while people listened to white noise (Zhang et al., 2025). A separate study of 29 adults recorded lower beta-band activity, the fast brain rhythm that runs during alert, effortful attention and tends to fade as the body relaxes (Tamariska et al., 2025). In the body this may register as mental effort easing, thoughts slowing, and the head feeling quieter and less switched on. These are in-the-moment brain measures in healthy adults, not lasting changes, and neither was recorded during a formal meditation.

**Beta activity**

When the mind stays switched on even as you try to relax, listening to steady background noise was measured to ease beta activity, the fast brain rhythm that hums during alert, effortful thinking (Tamariska et al., 2025). That is the kind of shift that tends to accompany relaxation, and it is often felt as mental chatter settling and the head growing quieter and less on edge.

**Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activity**

Effortful thinking may ease as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the brain's hub for higher-order mental work, shows reduced activity while people listen to white noise, measured with near-infrared brain imaging in one study of healthy adults (Zhang et al., 2025). Many listeners feel this as a mind that is less busy and thinking that takes less effort.

**Sleep Onset Latency**

Falling asleep can feel less effortful against a steady wash of white noise, with thoughts loosening and the pull toward sleep arriving more easily. This shorter drift into sleep tracks measured drops in prefrontal brain activity and calmer beta-wave patterns that mark the nervous system settling (Zhang et al., 2025), (Tamariska et al., 2025), though not every study finds the same overnight change.

**Frontal Executive Activity**

When the mind won't stop planning and analyzing, white noise may help that mental effort ease off. In one study, activity in the prefrontal cortex, the brain's planning and problem-solving hub, decreased while people listened to white noise (Zhang et al., 2025).

**Medial Prefrontal Activity**

When the mind keeps running with self-focused, looping thoughts, white noise may help that busyness settle. Activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the region tied to self-referential thinking and worry, has been measured to fall while people listen (Zhang et al., 2025), a quieting that some people notice as fewer looping thoughts and less mental effort.

**Signal-to-Noise Processing**

When the mind feels cluttered and over-stimulated, a steady wash of sound may quiet the brain's own background activity. Small studies measured reduced prefrontal activity and lower beta-band brain waves, the fast rhythm of alert, effortful thinking, while people listened to white noise (Zhang et al., 2025), (Tamariska et al., 2025), a shift many people notice as racing thoughts easing and the head feeling less crowded.

**Working Memory Engagement**

When the mind feels cluttered, white noise can help it settle. As people listen, activity drops in the prefrontal cortex, the brain's hub for juggling information moment to moment, while beta-band EEG, the fast rhythm of alert effort, quiets at rest (Zhang et al., 2025), (Tamariska et al., 2025). Many notice mental static settling, so attention can rest on one thing at a time instead of splitting across several.

## What is White Noise Meditation used for?

Moderate evidence, drawn from clinical settings rather than from meditation trials, supports white noise for sleep. A systematic review of 7 studies in about 496 hospitalized adults linked steady masking sound to better sleep efficiency (Khandelwal et al., 2025), and a controlled study of 212 inpatients with schizophrenia found better sleep alongside lower anxiety and depression scores at 12 weeks (Zhu & Zheng, 2024). Limited\u2013emerging evidence touches shorter time to fall asleep and eased discomfort for mothers and infants (Öz & Demırcı, 2025), plus attention gains that appear mainly in people with ADHD traits or lower baseline arousal (Göran et al., 2007), (I-Chen et al., 2022). What is not yet supported: large trials of the practice itself, general cognitive or mood boosts, or any claim it replaces treatment, and some studies find no effect on objective sleep.

## What does the research say about White Noise Meditation?

Most studies find white noise helps sleep when it is used as a background sound rather than as a formal meditation. A systematic review of hospitalized adults linked steady masking sound to better sleep efficiency (Khandelwal et al., 2025), and a controlled study of inpatients found better sleep alongside lower anxiety and low mood (Zhu & Zheng, 2024). The main limit is directness: nearly all of this research tests white noise as an environmental sound, not as White Noise Meditation, so benefits are inferred for the practice rather than demonstrated. Some trials also find no change in objective sleep (Corrêa et al., 2024) or in general thinking and mood (Sherman et al., 2023).

- Meta-analyses: 1
- RCTs: 2
- Systematic reviews: 1
- Observational: 10
- Pilot: 4

### Studied populations

- hospitalized adults
- mothers and newborns
- inpatients with schizophrenia
- college students
- children and adults with/without adhd
- healthy adults
- premature infants on ventilation
- general users; infants flagged

### Outcomes measured

- prefrontal cortical excitability (oxyhemoglobin via fnirs)
- sleep efficiency
- sleep latency, sleep onset, pain perception
- sleep quality, anxiety, depression
- stochastic resonance / moderate brain arousal; attention and working memory
- temporal-lobe beta-band eeg activity

### Effect sizes

| Outcome | Effect size | 95% CI | N | Comparator | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sleep quality, anxiety, and depression (PSQI, HAMD, HAMA) at 12 weeks | reported significant; P<0.05 | — | 212 | standard pharmacological treatment without white sound | Zhu & Zheng, 2024 |
| Learning; mood/stress (additive white noise showed no significant effect) | no significant effect; p=0.58 (learning); p>0.09 (mood/stress) | — | 24 | sham noise | Sherman et al., 2023 |

### Limitations

- Some extracted statistics are significance-only (p-values) rather than full effect-size estimates.

The research is useful for setting expectations, but study methods and participant groups vary. Treat the findings as general guidance rather than a promise about any single session, and not a replacement for clinical care.

## Which studies have tested White Noise Meditation?

**Training augmentation using additive sensory noise in a lunar rover navigation task**

n = 24

Finding: In a small trial with 24 healthy adults learning a complex operational task (steering a simulated lunar rover), adding white noise in the background did not help people learn any faster than a sham comparison, and it left their mood and stress levels unchanged. For anyone hoping white noise will sharpen their thinking or lift their mood, this study offers no support for that idea, at least not as a broad, works-for-everyone effect. Because the group was small and focused on one demanding learning task, the results say more about general cognitive boosts than about any particular relaxation routine, but they are a useful reminder that background noise is not a reliable shortcut to better performance.

`no significant effect; p=0.58 (learning); p>0.09 (mood/stress)`

**Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Do White Noise or Pink Noise Help With Task Performance in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or With Elevated Attention Problems?**

2024

Finding: This meta-analysis looked at how steady background sounds, including white noise (a uniform, static-like sound that carries every audible frequency at equal strength), affect people during focused tasks. Its main value here is descriptive: it clarifies what white noise actually is and how it is used as a consistent acoustic backdrop rather than as a standardized medical treatment. For someone practising White Noise Meditation, that means you can treat this even, featureless sound as a stable object to rest your attention on or as ambient cover for a quieter mental space. Keep in mind the research focused on short laboratory attention tasks, so it speaks to how the sound is defined and applied more than to long-term meditation outcomes.

**Influence of White Sound on Sleep Quality, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients with Schizophrenia**

n = 212

Finding: In a study of 212 hospitalised adults with schizophrenia, half listened to quiet white sound (40–50 dB) for two hours each night over 12 weeks alongside their usual care, and they fell asleep faster, slept more efficiently, and scored lower on anxiety and low mood than those receiving standard treatment alone. For someone struggling to settle at night, this hints that a steady background sound may help ease the transition into sleep and take the edge off restless evenings. Keep in mind this was a retrospective look back at hospital records rather than a controlled experiment, and it involved a specific clinical group, so the results point to a helpful sleep aid rather than a treatment for any underlying condition.

`reported significant; P<0.05`

**Sedative Effect of White Noise on Prefrontal Cortex Lobe: A Randomized Controlled Study Based on Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy**

n = 103

Finding: In this brain-imaging study, 103 healthy college students listened to different types of white noise while sensors tracked blood-oxygen activity in the front of the brain, the region tied to focus and emotional control. Certain nature-like sounds, such as wind and snow, lowered activity in these areas, a pattern the researchers read as the brain settling into a calmer, more relaxed state. For someone experimenting with white noise, this hints that the right kind of background sound may help quiet a busy mind. Keep in mind the effect showed up only with some sound types and after just three minutes of listening, so this is an early snapshot rather than proof of lasting calm.

`reported narratively`

**Neuropsychological and neurophysiological benefits from white noise in children with and without ADHD.**

2016

Finding: This study tested how a steady background of white noise affected attention and self-control in 30 children aged 7 to 12, some with ADHD and some without. Adding moderate white noise sharpened attention for the children who were more easily distracted, while it offered little benefit, and sometimes got in the way, for those who already focused well. The practical takeaway is that white noise may help concentration for some people rather than everyone, with the biggest gains for those who tend to be under-stimulated or restless. Keep in mind this was a small study in children, so it points to who might benefit more than it proves a reliable effect for adults or the general population.

**Listen to the noise: noise is beneficial for cognitive performance in ADHD.**

2007

Finding: This study tested the idea that a steady background of white noise can sharpen attention and working memory, and found the benefit depends on who is listening: people who are more easily distracted, including those with ADHD traits, focused better with moderate noise, while people who already concentrate well saw no gain or even did slightly worse. The proposed reason is that a modest amount of noise lifts underactive attention systems toward a more alert state, so it helps most when your baseline focus is low. In practice, that means white noise is worth trying if you tend to feel scattered or under-stimulated, but it is not a universal concentration aid and may not suit everyone. Keep in mind this was a mechanism-focused study without reported effect sizes, so it points to who benefits rather than how large the boost is.

**Comparison of Stress Responses between Mental Tasks and White Noise Exposure**

2007

Finding: When 10 healthy men listened to loud white noise at 80 decibels across several five-minute blocks, their blood pressure and the resistance in their blood vessels climbed and kept building over time, the same kind of cardiovascular stress reaction the researchers saw from a demanding mental math task. In practical terms, white noise is not automatically calming: at high volumes it can push your body into a stress response rather than settle it, so keeping the sound low and gentle matters if you are using it to relax. Keep in mind this was a very small study of only ten young men, so the numbers give a signal rather than a firm rule, but they are a good reason to turn the volume down.

**White Noise Exemplifies the Constrained Disorder Principle-Based Concept of Overcoming Malfunctions**

2025

Finding: This paper describes white noise as a steady sound that carries every audible frequency at equal intensity, creating a uniform, static-like backdrop, and notes that in therapeutic settings this kind of even sound field is used to mask distracting noise and help the ear and brain settle into a stable pattern, as with tinnitus. For someone practising White Noise Meditation, that means the sound works as a plain, featureless anchor for attention rather than a clinical treatment. This is background conceptual work on how steady sound is defined and applied, not a trial measuring meditation outcomes, so it explains what white noise is rather than proving specific benefits from meditating with it.

**Different effects of adding white noise on cognitive performance of sub-, normal and super-attentive school children.**

2014

Finding: This study found that a steady background of white noise sharpened attention and working memory in people who tend to be easily distracted, including those with ADHD, while offering little benefit and sometimes even hurting focus for people who already concentrate well. The idea is that a moderate amount of sound raises the brain's internal "signal," so whether it helps depends a lot on where your baseline attention sits. If you often struggle to stay on task, a modest level of white noise while you work or meditate may be worth trying; if you already focus easily, it is less likely to help and could get in the way. Keep in mind this was a behavioral study measuring performance rather than a large clinical trial, so it points to who might benefit rather than promising a fixed result for everyone.

**Stochastic resonance is not required for pink noise to have beneficial effects on ADHD-related performance? The moderate brain arousal model challenged.**

2024

Finding: Working with adults who had varying levels of ADHD-related traits, this study found that a steady, non-random pure tone improved attention-task performance just as much as random pink noise did. That result quietly undercuts a popular explanation for why background noise helps focus, since a smooth tone should not produce the "helpful randomness" effect often used to explain the benefit. For someone using white noise to concentrate, the practical takeaway is that it may still help, but the reason it works is genuinely unsettled, so treat any confident claim about the underlying brain mechanism with caution. Keep in mind this was a single study in adults rather than a large clinical trial, so it points to open questions more than firm conclusions.

**Impact and efficacy of sound machine on sleep in hospitalized adults: A systematic review**

n = 496

Finding: This review gathered seven studies of about 496 hospitalized adults, most of them using white noise, and found that patients slept more efficiently, spending more of their time in bed actually asleep, with the sound machines proving easy to tolerate and free of any major side effects. For anyone struggling to rest in a noisy hospital room, a steady masking sound may help smooth over the beeps and disruptions that fragment sleep. That said, the studies were few and varied too widely in length and measurement to combine into a single number, so this is a promising signal rather than firm proof, and white noise should not be treated as a cure for insomnia.

`reported narratively`

**Applications of White Noise in Maternal and Neonatal Care: A Comprehensive Review on Sleep, Stress, and Pain Outcomes**

2025

Finding: This review of 12 studies on white noise in maternal and newborn care found that controlled trials consistently reported faster sleep onset, less time spent lying awake, and lower pain responses in both mothers and infants, with signs of steadier heart rate and better oxygen levels among babies in neonatal intensive care. For a parent, that suggests a steady wash of sound may help settle a restless infant and ease a mother's own path to sleep, though how much it helps varies from person to person and situation to situation. Because this was a narrative review that summarised findings rather than combining them into a single number, the overall size of the effect isn't precisely pinned down. White noise should never be treated as safe at any volume or for any length of time around infants, so keep it gentle and time-limited.

**Comparison of the Effect of the White Noise and Sound Reduction on Behavioral Responses of Premature Infants Under Noninvasive Ventilation**

n = 42

Finding: In a small crossover trial of 42 premature babies who needed breathing support, researchers compared white noise with simply reducing the surrounding noise (using earplugs and a snug, fetal-like position). The babies settled more, showing less restlessness, when noise was reduced rather than when white noise was added. For this fragile group, quieting the environment appears to help more than adding a soothing sound, though the study was small and looked only at premature infants in intensive care, so the result does not tell us how white noise affects calm in older children or adults.

`reported narratively`

**Objective effects of white noise on the sleep of university students: a pilot study**

2024

Finding: In a small overnight sleep-lab pilot with nine university students, white noise played through half the night neither helped nor harmed their sleep, sleep efficiency stayed about the same and there was no rise in the number of times they woke. If anything, the students spent a bit more time in the lightest stage of sleep while the noise was on, so this study offers no evidence that white noise measurably improves sleep quality. With only nine people and no effect sizes reported, it is a preliminary look rather than the last word, but it is a useful reminder that white noise may not deliver the deeper sleep some hope for.

**Effects of additive sensory noise on cognition**

2023

Finding: In a small study of just 13 healthy adults, researchers played white noise (and a mild inner-ear stimulation) while participants worked through a battery of thinking tasks, and found that the added noise did not broadly sharpen performance. Some people responded a little differently than others, but there was no across-the-board boost to memory, attention, or general cognition. For anyone hoping white noise will reliably make them think faster or work better, this study offers no support for that; at most, any effect appears to be individual rather than universal. Keep in mind the sample was tiny, so these results are an early signal rather than the last word.

**Listening to White Noise Improved Verbal Working Memory in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study.**

2022

Finding: In a small study of thirteen children aged 6–10 with ADHD, playing white noise in the background while they worked improved their verbal working memory, meaning they could better hold and use spoken information for a task. The likely reason is that a moderate level of background noise raises alertness in brains that tend to run under-aroused, so the extra sound helps rather than distracts. Because this benefit is tied to a naturally low-arousal profile, white noise may aid focus for children with ADHD or anyone who is easily distracted, but the same noise won't necessarily help, and may even hinder, people who already concentrate well. With only thirteen participants, this is an early, small-scale finding rather than proof that the effect holds for everyone.

**The impact of coloured noise on brainwave activity: Implications for indoor environment design**

2025

Finding: In a brainwave study of 29 healthy adults, listening to white noise at rest lowered beta activity in a part of the temporal lobe involved in processing sound, a shift that tends to go along with a more relaxed, less mentally busy state. Most other brainwave patterns stayed about the same, so the effect was specific rather than a broad change across the brain. This is early, small-scale evidence, and the researchers reported the change as significant without measuring how large it was, so it's best read as a promising sign that white noise may help settle the mind at rest rather than proof of a reliable meditative brain state.

**Pink Noise and a Pure Tone Both Reduce 1/f Neural Noise in Adults With Elevated ADHD Traits: A Critical Appraisal of the Moderate Brain Arousal Model**

2026

Finding: In this study of 69 adults with varying levels of ADHD-related traits, researchers used EEG to directly measure "neural noise," the low-level background activity in the brain that the popular theory says white noise should boost. Both random noise and a plain, non-random tone actually lowered that measure rather than raising it, which runs against the idea that white noise helps attention by adding beneficial noise to the brain. For anyone using white noise to focus, the practical takeaway is that it may still be worth trying, but the commonly cited brain explanation for why it works is far from settled. Keep in mind this was a single study in adults who were not diagnosed with ADHD, so it speaks to the mechanism rather than to how well the practice works day to day.

## Where does White Noise Meditation come from?

White Noise Meditation has no ancient lineage; it grew out of modern sound-healing and ambient-listening culture rather than a named contemplative tradition. Within that largely secular frame, a featureless, uniform soundscape is treated as a neutral container, an acoustic blanket that covers disruption and gives a busy mind something even to rest on. These roots help explain the practice's simple, belief-neutral form, not its clinical effects.

## Is White Noise Meditation safe?

For most healthy adults, White Noise Meditation is low-risk, and at gentle volumes the steady wash of sound is what makes it calming in the first place. Two cautions matter, and both come down to volume. Sustained loud exposure, around 80 decibels, has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress, the keyed-up state of blood pressure and vascular tension climbing rather than settling, so loud white noise can act as a stressor instead of a relaxant (Liu et al., 2007). Prolonged or high-volume exposure, especially around infants or anyone with hearing sensitivity, may also carry hearing and developmental risk. Kept low and steady, the sound stays a soft backdrop that supports settling.

### Who should practise with care?

Infants and anyone with hearing vulnerability warrant the most care, because continuous or high-volume white noise may carry hearing and developmental risk for them. This caution is practice-informed, flagged in reviews of maternal and neonatal use, and for these groups lowering the surrounding noise can work better than adding sound. Anyone using white noise as a nightly aid should keep the device at a distance and at a moderate level rather than close and loud, since the calming effect depends on gentle volume. And if the sound leaves you feeling wired or tense rather than settled, treat that as a cue to turn it down.

#### Loud volume can raise stress instead of easing it

*moderate* · *evidence-based*

The calming effect of white noise depends on keeping it quiet. Sustained loud exposure around 80 decibels has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress, with blood pressure and vascular tension climbing rather than settling, so loud white noise can act as a stressor rather than a relaxant. Keep the volume soft and low, and if the sound leaves you feeling keyed up rather than settled, turn it down or stop.

#### Prolonged or high-volume exposure

*moderate* · *practice-informed*

Reviews of maternal and neonatal use flag that prolonged or high-intensity white noise may carry hearing and developmental risk. Treat this as a practice-informed caution: keep the sound within safe, moderate levels, place the device at a distance rather than close, and limit how long it runs rather than leaving it loud all night.

#### Infants and anyone with hearing sensitivity

*moderate* · *practice-informed*

Infants and people with hearing vulnerability warrant the most care. Favour brief, low-volume use and keep the source across the room rather than beside a crib or head. For some vulnerable groups, reducing the surrounding noise works better than adding sound: in premature infants on noninvasive ventilation, a sound-reduction approach produced a greater drop in behavioural stress responses than white noise. None of this replaces guidance from a pediatrician.

### How to practise safely?

White Noise Meditation works best when you treat volume as the whole practice, keeping the sound low and steady so it softens the edges of a room rather than filling it. A sensible starting format is a device placed at a distance rather than close to your head, running for a defined stretch instead of loud all night, with gentle care taken around infants or anyone whose hearing is sensitive.

1. **Set a gentle volume.** Start low and keep the sound at a soft, comfortable level, well below the sustained loud exposure around 80 decibels that has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress. It should soften the edges of a room, not fill it.
2. **Place the source at a distance.** Keep the speaker or device across the room rather than beside your head or a sleeping infant, so the sound stays a soft backdrop rather than a close, direct signal.
3. **Keep sessions time-limited.** Use white noise for a defined stretch rather than leaving it running loud all night, and lower the volume as you drift toward sleep.
4. **Check in with your body.** If you feel keyed up, tense, or on edge rather than settled, turn the volume down or stop, since both the calming and the stressful effects depend on how loud the sound is.
5. **Take extra care with vulnerable listeners.** Around infants or anyone with hearing sensitivity, favour brief, low-volume use, or reduce the surrounding noise instead of adding it, because prolonged high-volume exposure may carry hearing and developmental risk.

### Medical disclaimer

This information is educational and is not medical advice. This practice is not a substitute for professional care and should not replace prescribed medication or treatment for any medical or mental-health condition. If you are managing a health condition or taking medication, talk with a qualified health professional before changing your practice. If you are in distress or crisis, seek professional support.

## How does White Noise Meditation compare to similar techniques?

| Technique | Best for | Use with care | Distinction |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pink and brown noise | Listeners who find flat static harsh and prefer a warmer, lower, rain-like sound for sleep or focus. | Coloured noise is often studied together with white noise, so the evidence rarely separates the two cleanly. | Pink and brown noise carry more energy in the lower frequencies, so they sound softer and deeper, like steady rain or a distant waterfall, where white noise has equal energy across all frequencies and sounds like flat static. Both are used to mask distraction and give a busy mind something even to rest against, and much of the attention research pools the coloured-noise family together rather than isolating one type. |
| Relaxing music listening | People who want an emotionally engaging, pleasant listening experience rather than a neutral acoustic backdrop. | Music's changing structure can pull attention or stir emotion, which is unhelpful when the goal is simply to let a busy mind settle. | Relaxing music carries melody, rhythm, and changing structure that the mind naturally follows, where white noise is deliberately featureless and gives attention nothing in particular to track. Music can engage, uplift, and shift mood, while white noise works mainly by masking sudden sounds and holding a steady, undemanding backdrop. |
| Environmental noise reduction (quiet, earplugs) | Vulnerable groups such as premature infants, or anyone for whom added sound is itself over-stimulating. | Reducing sound is not always practical in noisy settings such as hospitals, where masking may be the only feasible option. | Noise reduction removes or dampens sound with earplugs or a quieter room, where white noise adds a steady sound to cover unpredictable noises. Both aim to reduce the jarring intrusions that keep a nervous system braced, but one approach subtracts sound while the other masks it, and the better choice can depend on how sensitive the listener is to added stimulation. |
| Sound bath (singing bowls, gongs, chimes) | People drawn to a rich, immersive, ceremony-like listening experience with changing tones. |  | A sound bath uses resonant instruments such as singing bowls, gongs, and chimes whose evolving tones and overtones the listener follows, where white noise meditation rests on a single unchanging wash of sound with no melodic content. The sound bath foregrounds rich, shifting texture; white noise foregrounds neutrality and masking. |

## Other questions readers ask

### Is white noise meditation just leaving a sound machine running?

Not quite. Both use the same steady, all-frequency sound, but white noise meditation asks you to deliberately rest attention on the sound field, whereas a machine simply runs it as a passive background (Shavit & Ilan, 2025).

Not quite. The sound is the same steady wash carrying all audible frequencies equally, but the practice is defined by what you do with your attention: resting receptive, non-grasping awareness on the undifferentiated sound, or using it as an intentional masking backdrop for other practice (Shavit & Ilan, 2025), (Nigg et al., 2024). A set-and-forget machine skips that attentional step. This is a difference in form, not a claim that the meditation version outperforms passive use. Most research tests white noise as ambient sound rather than as a seated practice.

### Do you need any special gear to try white noise meditation?

No. Any device that plays a steady white noise, whether a phone app, speaker, or sound machine, is enough (Shavit & Ilan, 2025). What matters more than the gear is a gentle, comfortable volume and placing the source across the room rather than near your head.

No special equipment is required. White noise is simply a steady sound carrying all audible frequencies equally, so any everyday device that can produce it will work as a meditation object or calming backdrop (Shavit & Ilan, 2025), (Nigg et al., 2024). What matters is practical, not technical: keep the volume low and comfortable, well below the sustained loud exposure around 80 decibels that has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress rather than ease it (Liu et al., 2007), and place the source at a distance instead of close to your head. Take extra care around infants or anyone with hearing sensitivity, favouring brief, low-volume use.

### Does white noise actually help you sleep?

Partly. Moderate evidence, drawn mainly from hospital settings, links steady white noise to better sleep, but it is tested as background sound rather than as meditation, and some studies find no change in objective sleep (Khandelwal et al., 2025), (Corrêa et al., 2024).

Partly. A systematic review of about 496 hospitalized adults linked steady masking sound to better sleep efficiency (Khandelwal et al., 2025), a controlled study of 212 schizophrenia inpatients found better sleep alongside lower anxiety and low mood (Zhu & Zheng, 2024), and reviews suggest shorter time to fall asleep for some mothers and infants (Öz & Demırcı, 2025). The picture is suggestive rather than settled: this research tests white noise as ambient sound, not as deliberate meditation, and at least one polysomnography study found no change in objective sleep (Corrêa et al., 2024). It is a reasonable pre-sleep cue for some people, not a certain sleep aid or a replacement for care.

### Can white noise meditation help with anxiety?

Not as a standalone treatment. White noise meditation has no direct anxiety trials, and steady noise doesn't broadly lift mood in healthy adults (Sherman et al., 2023). The one anxiety signal is indirect: lower anxiety scores appeared alongside better sleep in hospitalized inpatients (Zhu & Zheng, 2024). It is not a substitute for care when anxiety is significant.

Not as a standalone treatment. There are no direct trials of white noise meditation as an anxiety intervention in generally anxious people, so any anxiety benefit is inferred rather than demonstrated. The clearest signal is indirect: in a controlled study of inpatients with schizophrenia, nightly white sound was linked to lower anxiety and depression scores, but this appeared as a secondary outcome alongside improved sleep in a specific clinical group (Zhu & Zheng, 2024). In healthy adults, added white noise has not been shown to broadly improve mood (Sherman et al., 2023), so treat any calming effect as suggestive, not confirmed, and not a replacement for care when anxiety is significant.

### How does a steady, featureless sound quiet a busy mind?

Mainly by masking. A steady, featureless sound covers the sudden noises that keep the body braced, which may let the nervous system settle; in healthy adults, listening to white noise has been linked to quieter activity in the brain's effortful-thinking regions (Zhang et al., 2025).

Mainly by masking. The even wash of sound covers intermittent, startling noises so the mind has less to snag on, and this may free the body to shift toward parasympathetic activity, its rest-and-recovery mode. In healthy adults, white noise has been measured alongside reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, the hub for effortful thinking (Zhang et al., 2025), and lower beta-band brain rhythms, the fast pattern of alert effort that tends to ease during relaxation (Tamariska et al., 2025). A separate idea from attention research is that a moderate level of steady sound can shift under-aroused attention into a steadier range (Göran et al., 2007). These findings are indirect, drawn from white noise as ambient sound rather than measured during meditation, so the mechanism is best read as plausible support rather than a proven effect.

### Can white noise be too loud to actually relax you?

Yes. At sustained loud levels around 80 decibels, white noise has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress rather than ease it, so the calming effect depends on keeping the volume gentle and low (Liu et al., 2007).

Yes. In one study, sustained white noise at roughly 80 decibels produced accumulating cardiovascular stress responses, meaning loud white noise can act as a stressor instead of a relaxant, so a soft, low volume matters (Liu et al., 2007). Keep the device at a distance and at a moderate level rather than close and loud, and take extra care around infants or anyone with hearing sensitivity, where prolonged high-volume exposure carries a practice-informed caution. If the sound leaves you feeling keyed up rather than settled, treat that as a cue to turn it down or stop.

### Is white noise safe to use around babies?

Use care. Around babies, keep white noise low, distant, and time-limited, since prolonged or high-volume exposure may carry hearing and developmental risk; this is a practice-informed caution, not a safety clearance. For premature or vulnerable infants, reducing ambient noise may work better than adding sound (Mohseni et al., 2025). It is not a substitute for pediatric guidance.

Use care, and treat this as a practice-informed caution rather than proof that white noise is safe for infants. Reviews of maternal and neonatal use flag that prolonged or high-volume exposure may carry hearing and developmental risk, so the practical steps are to keep the volume gentle, place the device across the room rather than beside the crib, and limit how long it runs. Loud, sustained white noise, around 80 decibels or roughly the level of city traffic, has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress rather than ease it (Liu et al., 2007), and in premature infants on breathing support, reducing ambient noise produced a greater drop in stress responses than adding white noise (Mohseni et al., 2025). None of this replaces guidance from your pediatrician.

### How loud should white noise be when you meditate?

Keep it low and gentle. Set white noise at a soft, comfortable level, well below sustained loud exposure around 80 decibels, which has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress rather than ease it (Liu et al., 2007). If you feel keyed up rather than settled, turn it down or stop.

Keep it low and gentle. The calming effect depends on volume: at soft levels the steady sound softens the edges of a room, but sustained loud exposure around 80 decibels has been measured to raise cardiovascular stress, the keyed-up state of blood pressure and vascular tension climbing rather than easing (Liu et al., 2007). There is no single evidence-backed optimal decibel target, so use your body as the guide, place the source across the room rather than beside your head, and take extra care around infants or anyone with hearing sensitivity.

### What's the difference between white noise and pink or brown noise?

The difference is spectral: white noise has roughly equal energy across all frequencies and sounds like flat static, while pink and brown noise weight more energy toward the lower frequencies, sounding softer and deeper, closer to steady rain or a waterfall (Shavit & Ilan, 2025). No type is established as clinically better; choice mostly comes down to which sound you find more comfortable.

The difference is mainly in the sound itself. White noise carries roughly equal energy across all audible frequencies, so it comes across as flat, even static; pink and brown noise shift more energy toward the lower frequencies, which makes them sound warmer and deeper, like rain or a distant waterfall (Shavit & Ilan, 2025). This is a spectral and perceptual distinction, not a ranking: attention research often pools the coloured-noise family together, and a meta-analysis in youth with ADHD or elevated attention problems found no clear advantage for either type on task performance (Nigg et al., 2024). For sleep or focus, the evidence is mixed and not yet settled, so preference is a reasonable guide.

## Glossary

### White noise

A steady sound that carries roughly equal energy across all audible frequencies, so it sounds like flat, even static. It is used to cover unpredictable environmental sounds and give attention a uniform surface to rest against.

### Pink and brown noise

Coloured noise with more energy weighted toward the lower frequencies, which makes it sound softer and deeper than white noise, closer to steady rain or a waterfall. It is often used interchangeably with white noise for sleep and focus.

### Auditory masking

The way a steady background sound covers or blunts sudden, intermittent noises so they are less likely to grab attention. This is the main way white noise is thought to reduce the sense of being startled or interrupted.

### Stochastic resonance

The idea that adding a moderate amount of noise to a system can actually make a weak signal easier to detect, rather than drowning it out.

A proposed mechanism, framed within the Moderate Brain Arousal model, in which moderate auditory noise optimises signal-to-noise processing and can improve task performance in under-aroused individuals; its role is contested in recent literature.

### Moderate Brain Arousal model

A theory that people differ in their baseline level of brain arousal, and that a moderate amount of background noise can lift an under-aroused, easily distracted brain into a steadier, more focused range while offering little to others.

### Frequency-following response

The brain's tendency to synchronise its own electrical rhythms to the dominant frequencies in a sound. It is the entrainment idea behind some sound practices, though no included study shows it operating during white noise meditation.

### Parasympathetic activation

Increased activity in the body's rest-and-recovery branch, which shifts physiology away from fight-or-flight. It tends to feel like tension loosening, breathing slowing, and being less on guard.

Increased activity in the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, largely via vagal pathways, shifting physiology toward restorative, lower-arousal states.

### Sleep onset latency

How long it takes to fall asleep once you have settled down for the night. A shorter latency means the drift into sleep arrives with less effort.

### Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)

A light-based brain-imaging method that tracks changes in blood-oxygen levels through the skull, used to gauge how hard a region of the brain is working.

### Beta-band EEG activity

The faster brain rhythm that dominates during alert, effortful thinking. When it eases, the mind tends to feel quieter and less switched on, which is often described as a more relaxed state.

Electroencephalographic oscillations in the beta frequency band (roughly 13-30 Hz) associated with active, alert cognitive processing; reductions are linked to lower cortical arousal and relaxation.

## Full references

1. Sage O. Sherman, Anna Jonsen, Quinlan Lewis, Michael Schlittenhart, Daniel Szafır, Torin K. Clark (2023). Training augmentation using additive sensory noise in a lunar rover navigation task. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1180314 (observational)
2. Nigg Joel T, Bruton Alisha, Kozlowski Michael B, Johnstone Jeanette M, Karalunas Sarah L, Joel T. Nigg (2024). Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Do White Noise or Pink Noise Help With Task Performance in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or With Elevated Attention Problems?. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2023.12.014 (meta analysis)
3. Lingli Zhu, Lifeng Zheng (2024). Influence of White Sound on Sleep Quality, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients with Schizophrenia. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_116_23 (observational)
4. Tiecheng Zhang, Yingfeng Tan, Jiayi Chen, Xiaofeng Jing, Meng Rong, Fan Xu (2025). Sedative Effect of White Noise on Prefrontal Cortex Lobe: A Randomized Controlled Study Based on Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_88_24 (randomized controlled trial)
5. Baijot Simon, Slama Hichem, Söderlund Göran, Dan Bernard, Deltenre Paul, Colin Cécile (2016). Neuropsychological and neurophysiological benefits from white noise in children with and without ADHD.. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12993-016-0095-y (observational)
6. Söderlund Göran, Sikström Sverker, Smart Andrew, Göran Söderlund, Sverker Sikström, Andrew Smart (2007). Listen to the noise: noise is beneficial for cognitive performance in ADHD.. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01749.x (observational)
7. Xinxin Liu, Koichi Iwanaga, Yoshihiro Shimomura, Tetsuo Katsuura (2007). Comparison of Stress Responses between Mental Tasks and White Noise Exposure. https://doi.org/10.2114/jpa2.26.165 (observational)
8. Sagit Stern Shavit, Yaron Ilan (2025). White Noise Exemplifies the Constrained Disorder Principle-Based Concept of Overcoming Malfunctions. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15168769 (other peer reviewed)
9. Helps Suzannah K, Bamford Susan, Sonuga-Barke Edmund J S, Söderlund Göran B W, Suzannah K. Helps, Susan Bamford (2014). Different effects of adding white noise on cognitive performance of sub-, normal and super-attentive school children.. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0112768 (observational)
10. Rijmen Joske, Wiersema Jan R (2024). Stochastic resonance is not required for pink noise to have beneficial effects on ADHD-related performance? The moderate brain arousal model challenged.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108961 (observational)
11. Kanika Khandelwal, Alecia Anyim, Sara Shu, Dana Gerberi, Mohammed Yousufuddin, Sandeep R. Pagali (2025). Impact and efficacy of sound machine on sleep in hospitalized adults: A systematic review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleepx.2025.100154 (systematic review)
12. Tuğba Öz, Nurdan Demırcı (2025). Applications of White Noise in Maternal and Neonatal Care: A Comprehensive Review on Sleep, Stress, and Pain Outcomes. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_154_25 (other peer reviewed)
13. Hasti Mohseni, Monir Ramezani, Azadeh Saki, Nasim Poor-Alizadeh (2025). Comparison of the Effect of the White Noise and Sound Reduction on Behavioral Responses of Premature Infants Under Noninvasive Ventilation. https://doi.org/10.1097/jpn.0000000000000902 (randomized controlled trial)
14. Camila de Castro Corrêa, Silke Anna Theresa Weber, Vanessa Luísa Destro Fidêncio, Elaine Garcias Dos Santos, Lorrana Emily Oliveira Fernandes, R. Lopes (2024). Objective effects of white noise on the sleep of university students: a pilot study. https://doi.org/10.34024/rnc.2024.v32.19556 (other peer reviewed)
15. Sage O. Sherman, Maya Greenstein, Mathias Basner, Torin K. Clark, Allison P. Anderson (2023). Effects of additive sensory noise on cognition. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1092154 (observational)
16. Chen I-Chen, Chan Hsun-Yu, Lin Keh-Chung, Huang Yu-Ting, Tsai Pei-Luen, Huang Yen-Ming (2022). Listening to White Noise Improved Verbal Working Memory in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Pilot Study.. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127283 (other peer reviewed)
17. Stirena Rossy Tamariska, Lucky S. Tsaih, Martin Clinton Tosima Manullang (2025). The impact of coloured noise on brainwave activity: Implications for indoor environment design. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326x251332520 (observational)
18. Rijmen Joske, Senoussi Mehdi, Wiersema Jan R (2026). Pink Noise and a Pure Tone Both Reduce 1/f Neural Noise in Adults With Elevated ADHD Traits: A Critical Appraisal of the Moderate Brain Arousal Model. https://doi.org/10.1177/10870547251357074 (observational)

## More White Noise Meditation in Insight Timer

Editorially curated. Tracks are not themselves clinically studied; evidence on the page applies to White Noise Meditation as a technique.

- [Static Radio Sounds White Noise For Sleep And Relaxation](https://insighttimer.com/fairychamber/guided-meditations/static-radio-sounds-white-noise-for-sleep-and-relaxation) — Niina Niskanen, Music, 45 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Clear Field — Pure White Noise (8 Hours)](https://insighttimer.com/pablomusips/guided-meditations/clear-field-pure-white-noise-8-hours) — Pablo Villegas, Music, 479 min, rated 5.0/5
- [The Sound Of White Noise](https://insighttimer.com/naturesoundemporium/guided-meditations/the-sound-of-white-noise) — Nature Sound Emporium, Music, 60 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Bathroom Shower - Calming Ambiance - Relaxing Sounds](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/bathroom-shower-calming-ambiance-relaxing-sounds) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 90 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Soft Ventilation (Soothing Sounds For Deep Sleep)](https://insighttimer.com/patricklynen/guided-meditations/soft-ventilation-soothing-sounds-for-deep-sleep) — Patrick Lynen, Music, 60 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Relaxing White Noise For Soothing Rejuvenating Sleep](https://insighttimer.com/fairychamber/guided-meditations/relaxing-white-noise-for-soothing-rejuvenating-sleep) — Niina Niskanen, Music, 114 min, rated 5.0/5
- [7 Hours White Noise For Sleep, Starting With Peaceful Piano](https://insighttimer.com/ragnhild/guided-meditations/7-hours-white-noise-for-sleep-starting-with-peaceful-piano) — Ragnhild Maria Mao, Music, 420 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Soft Static White Noise To Help You Sleep](https://insighttimer.com/fairychamber/guided-meditations/soft-static-white-noise-to-help-you-sleep) — Niina Niskanen, Music, 40 min, rated 5.0/5
- [Deep Noise For Internal Stillness](https://insighttimer.com/miles_clark/guided-meditations/deep-noise-for-internal-stillness) — Miles Clark, Music, 59 min, rated 5.0/5
- [8 Hours White Noise For Sleep, Starting With Grand Piano](https://insighttimer.com/ragnhild/guided-meditations/8-hours-white-noise-for-sleep-starting-with-grand-piano) — Ragnhild Maria Mao, Music, 480 min, rated 5.0/5