Does white noise work for you?

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   ESPeck1919posted 11 years ago

   Does white noise work for you?
   
   It helps some people sleep or concentrate, but it only makes the situation worse for others.

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   tsmogposted 11 years ago

   What a Great question. Personal experience I can share. The answer, well, someone may be brave and write a hub on it. Sharing a bit and a byte for those seeking the answer take a peek at http://www.bwgen.com and also stop by www.learningstrategies.com. The rest is could be said, "I dun'no." Just playing a bit and a byte. I bet there are some generators of white noise on the net too.
   
   My personal experience is that it is taught with Feng Shui. What little I have studied says the incorporation of water features creating a calming sensation are themes for the varying methods - compass, bagua, and etc, yet is common to them all. Then it had not the science of today for explanation and understanding. Its original context of thought is historical, empirical through years of observation and has the allusion of there was a difference. Ponder truth...
   
   Feng Shui was first practiced as a formal learning with the Tang Dynasty around 800 - 900AD. I know there are more numbers, just can't remember now. However, it is said to go back to as far as 5,000 years.
   
   And, then too there are biblical allusions as well. "Lead me beside still waters" from the 23 Psalm is metaphorical language for quiet yet alludes to sound since waters is plural. That leads to thoughts of a stream rather than a pond. At least that is this person's take. However experience shares a stream does sooner or later either dissipate or become a body of water - pond, lake, sea, or ocean.
   
   Another perspective is white as a terminology. Why white? Seems one science is used to describe or explain another. Vision sees of the combining of primary colors of blue, green, and red the color of white which in frequency likened to sound as sound, since white is all frequencies. Ponder that moment in the film 'Mr. Holland's Opus' where he used light to share sound with his son and fellow deaf students. And, too ponder the movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' and its ending communicating with the space ship. Light was used in conjunction with sound.
   
   Okay, personally, I have white sound surrounding me daily. It calms me. In my office here is a air purifier. It emits a white sound not from the motor, yet from the passing air through the filtration system. In my living room near my chair where I tend to sleep too is an air purifier, yet not the magnification of the office, which is where I tend to smoke more. And, at times do not smoke at all. For aroma therapy I use coffee creamers with my coffee - giggle.

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wow! Fantastic answer! Very in depth.
      It's never worked for me as a sleep or concentration aid. I'm hoping to get to a neurologist to get tested for a sensory processing disorder one of these days, and see if occupational therapy will work.

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   artist101posted 11 years ago

   
   
   A fan helps drown out noises, I've slept for years that way. When away from home it's hard to sleep without it. I'm sorry it doesn't help you. Melatonin might be a help for you, if you've never tried it. It has many more benefits than just sleep, and why it's so important for overall health. I wish you luck at the neurologist.http://artist101.hubpages.com/hub/The-Benefits-of-Melatonin-and-Its-Many-Uses

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm a huge fan of Melatonin! Nature Made has a wonderful melt-on-the-tongue melatonin supplement that tastes just like chocolate mint. It helps knock me out but still doesn't keep me asleep.
      Thanks for the comment and well wishes! Great hub, too!

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      artist101posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      You're welcome, and thank you!!

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      tsmogposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for allowing me to comment here artist101. A word is to seek Melatonin out on Google or ?. There are consequences with prolonged usage. ESPeck, for your adventure ponder the opposite of white noise & then silence. Can Silence be achieve

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      tsmog-Prolonged silence isn't something that can be achieved without structural soundproofing. We live between an airport and train yard. I only use melatonin when I know I won't be able to fall asleep. I tend to be careful about any treatments. Thx!

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   Dreamhowlposted 11 years ago

   I have never tried white noise to help sleep or concentrate. When I am having trouble sleeping, I use an app on my iPod called Relax Melodies - I use a mixture of nature sounds, instrumental music and mid alpha waves. I set a timer on the app and it usually does the trick. There are beta waves included to help with concentration. I usually just listen to "Aligning to Zero" to get focused though. It's relaxing, healing music.

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Once I save up enough for a smart phone, I might look into an app like that. The music geared towards beta waves tends to relax me very well. Thanks for the comment!

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   tirelesstravelerposted 11 years ago

   Hate white noise. Don't want to hear fans at night either.  Want it quiet or noisy the middle stuff just annoys me.

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      tsmogposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Hmmmm, while sharing, that both by definition of your choice in reality are white sound, from the understanding I have, the difference is the frequency, although unsure really. Just supposing it may possibly the perception with individual sensitivity

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yes. I can understand that completely, though loud noises just tend to trigger headaches in me.

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   Billie Kelpinposted 11 years ago

   I'm left-handed and don't know if that makes a difference, but white noise definitely works for me - a fan, a motor running, a vacuum cleaner.  My husband can't concentate with the vacuum cleaner running.  I use a great little "sleep machine" that has the sound of ocean waves.  That helps me (and my little dog Scooter, too!) I don't use the heart-beat or the babbling brook.  I CANNOT write with MUSIC in the background -either with lyrics or without.  I'm drawn to the music and my attention goes there.  My husband, the software engineer, however, CAN concentrate with music.  Studies show that babies DO hear in the womb and I suspect that understanding the environment our mothers experienced would help us understand what would be the best way for US to concentrate.  I find it interesting that my mother always listened to the radio, mostly news, etc.  That's probably why music doesn't soothe me, but I have no clue.  When I have soft flannel near my nose when I sleep, I sleep better.  I had chronic bronchitis as a child and I think breathing in extra oxygen or refined oxygen this way is comforthing. I also sleep with a lavendar scent - one way or the other!  I actually use those lavendar dryer packets from Trader Joe's (not other kind) or my daughter buys me dried lavendar, and I put it in little packets on top of my pillow.  If I'm out of that, I sleep with a bar of lavendar soap!  (As they used to say, "I kid you not").   Great question.

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Very interesting!
      I tend to go either way with the music. Sometimes it helps, while others it distracts me. I think it depends on how much sensory input I had recently.
      Lavender is amazing stuff. It's one of my favorite scents. Makes nice tea, too.

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   fitmagposted 11 years ago

   When I was pregnant, I read about white sound. It seems to calm the baby. My baby wasn't too impressed But I know parents who have successfully used the white noise.
   
   I'm not a fan. When I'm tired, just the silence calms me. Not the pink, the blue, the black or the white sound. Only silence

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      ESPeck1919posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I'm with you there. Give me silence whenever possible!
      Interesting that you and your baby seemed to react similarly. I wonder if there's something genetic which determines the effectiveness or ineffectiveness.

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