Change Your Soundscape for Better Sleep

Quick Win

Noise from electronics, traffic or your bedmate can interfere with a good night’s sleep. Try one or more of these strategies for better rest.

Try This Today

• Disconnect devices. Power down or mute the sound on all your electronics. The pings from your phone and computer can interrupt your sleep.
• Block out noise. White noise, from a white-noise machine, app or fan can mask sounds coming from within the room or even outside, such as crickets chirping or cars honking. Or try simple foam or silicone earplugs to block out noise.
• Listen to soothing sounds. Pop your earbuds in and play calming music or soothing nature sounds. (Use a timer so the recording doesn’t stay on all night.)

Why

Noise can distract your mind and make it hard to settle down for sleep — or awaken you from slumber. In the 2016 report “The Brain-Sleep Connection,” the Global Council on Brain Health recommends a quiet room at night as one of its strategies for getting healthy sleep. If that’s hard to come by, research supports a few alternatives. Wearing earplugs was shown to improve sleep in a study of 68 patients in a hospital environment, according to a 2021 report in the Journal of Sleep Research. In other research on hospital patients, soothing music and nature sounds were found to help with sleep, as reported in a 2023 review of 76 studies. Some evidence suggests that white noise may benefit sleep, though more research is needed. Experiment and see what works for you.