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Noise as a sleep aid: A systematic review
Samantha M Riedy1, Michael G Smith1, Sarah Rocha1
1Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6021, USA.
Sleep Medicine Reviews
|October 2, 2020
Summary
White noise may not improve sleep quality as widely believed. Evidence is very low quality, suggesting more research is needed before using it as a sleep aid.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Science
- Auditory Neuroscience
Background:
- White noise is commonly used as a non-pharmacological sleep aid.
- Its effectiveness in masking disruptive noises and promoting sleep quality is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review studies on continuous white noise and sleep.
- To assess the evidence quality for white noise as a sleep aid.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of three databases, including 38 articles.
- Screening of titles/abstracts and risk of bias assessment.
- Primary outcomes: sleep onset latency, fragmentation, quality, and duration.
Main Results:
- Significant heterogeneity in study designs, noise characteristics, and outcome measures.
- Conflicting findings: continuous white noise may improve or disrupt sleep.
- The quality of evidence for white noise improving sleep was rated as very low (GRADE criteria).
Conclusions:
- Current evidence supporting continuous white noise for sleep improvement is very low quality.
- Further research with objective sleep measures and detailed noise exposure data is required.
- Potential negative effects on sleep and hearing warrant consideration.
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