White Noise Makers to Help Sleep

White noise uses soft repetitive background noise to cover noise that you want to screen out. White noise can use multiple frequencies and sounds to provide too much input for the brain to pick out any specific sound and focus on it. White noise helps you sleep better and deeper by drowning out any outside noise that could distract you.

Fans

• The sound of moving air is an effective white noise.

  The sound of a regular fan or even a ceiling fan can provide white noise for sleeping. Your brain will identify the noise and use it to filter out everything else.

CD Player

• CDs with waterfalls, rain, nature sounds, soft music, human heartbeat and recorded speakers can all function as white noise if you put them on repeat. Your brain will tune in to the sounds on your CD player and slowly tune them out as you relax and move toward sleep. Placing the CD on repeat maintains the same sounds running without the shift that comes when the CD player changes CDs or the sudden silence when the CD ends.

Radio

• Your radio can function as a CD player if you set it between stations where you only receive static. Make sure you haven't found a station that is temporarily not sending, our you could be in for a shock when the station begins its programming day.

Computer and MP3s

• You can download a selection of white noise recordings to your computer or mp3 player. Nature sounds, waves, waterfalls, human heartbeat and soft music can all provide white noise for you. Simply Noise.com is a website that provides white noise recordings on a donation basis. Cantonbecker.com and whitenoise247.net has similar options.

  If you don't want to download the recordings you can leave the website up and running on your computer while you sleep.

Mommy Bear

• Mommy bears are teddy bears with an internal speaker that plays womb sounds.

  These were popular back in the early 1980s, and they are still around 30 years later, although the price has come down from $50 or more to less than $25. These bears carry a recording of womb sounds in their belly. The bear can help infants and young children fall asleep listening to the very familiar sounds they heard during gestation. The heartbeat sound can also lull older children and adults to sleep as the brain tunes into the sounds and the heart rate of the listener synchronizes to the recorded beat.

White Noise Machines

• Amazon, WalMart, Target, Best Buy and many other big box stores with electronics departments carry dedicated white noise machines. There are a variety of models and price tags that run from $15 up to $100. Depending on what model you choose, you may have a selection of white noise sounds that include waves, rain, thunderstorms, heartbeat, insects, dolphin calls, and static. Some offer single and double channel options and multiple speeds.