What Is Pink Noise & What Can It Do For You? 

As more people turn to noise machines for sleep and relaxation, many are choosing something called "pink noise."

Anecdotally, pink noise is more soothing and calming, and there's some research on its effects.

The Sleep Foundation describes pink noise as a sound that contains a random assortment of all the audible frequencies, with more power in the lower frequencies.

It contains the same overall intensity in each octave, but the volume of individual pitches decreases by 3 decibels with each higher octave.

There's nothing worse than finally dozing off—only to be jolted awake by a slamming door or shrieking siren. (City dwellers: You know how it goes.) And while it's easy to shake a fist at the source, the specific noise isn't exactly the problem.

According to Carolyn Burke, sleep coach and research writer at The Sleep Advisor, it's more about the sudden changes in volume or frequency that are more likely to wake us up. 

Enter the peaceful consistency of pink noise. "Pink noise provides a constant ambient sound, helping to mask sounds that interfere with sleep," explains Terry Cralle, R.N., certified clinical sleep educator and sleep expert with the Better Sleep Council.

It's one thing to slip into a slumber. But what about staying asleep long enough to get sufficient deep sleep. That's another story.

Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, is the type of rest you need to feel refreshed and energized the next morning.

Pink noise also lends a hand by altering brain activity. According to Alex Savy, certified sleep science coach and founder of Sleeping Ocean, our brain waves are naturally very slow and smooth during deep sleep.

Thanks to its effect on deep sleep, pink noise is also associated with supporting and enhancing memory2. That's because memory consolidation depends on adequate deep sleep.

The process starts with your hippocampus3, the part of your brain that's known for making memories and decisions. (In fact, the hippocampus is known as the brain's "flash drive.")

As you snooze, the memories you made while you were awake relocate to the cortex4, where it's saved as long-term memory.

There isn't much research on the link between pink noise and memory since pink noise hasn't been extensively studied.

The sound-masking ability of pink noise isn't limited to your beauty sleep. If external sounds are messing with your focus, try listening to pink noise.

"By creating a constant, soothing sound that reduces jolting distractions, [you] could better concentrate on the tasks at hand," says Burke.

There isn't a huge difference between white noise and pink noise in terms of research and benefits. The main difference is what they sound like.

According to Cralle, both pink noise and white noise contain all the frequencies that humans are able to hear (20 hertz to 20,000 hertz).

But "white noise has equal power across all frequencies, [while] pink noise is more powerful on the lower end of the sound spectrum," she explains. Pink noise is basically white noise with a louder, stronger bass.

It comes down to personal preference. After all, everyone's brain responds to sound in different ways. The best choice is the one that suits your needs.

Before investing in a sound machine, try listening to colored noise tracks on YouTube or Spotify. You might even be able to find a machine that offers both pink and white noise.