White Noise for Sleep

Steady white noise to mask the sounds that keep you up. Set the timer, keep the volume low, and soften it with pink noise if it feels too bright.

White noise for sleepFree · no sign-up · plays for hours without a gap
All 22 sounds: noise colors, nature, places and machines

Noise colors

Nature

Places

Machines

How white noise helps you sleep

White noise covers the whole range of hearing, including the frequencies of voices. That makes it the strongest mask for talking in the next room, a snoring partner, or a hallway in a hotel. It doesn’t make the room quieter; it makes the changes smaller, so they’re less likely to wake you.

Studies on white noise and sleep are small and mixed. In noisy settings, like recorded intensive-care noise, white noise has reduced how often people were woken 1. But a 2021 systematic review rated the overall evidence as very low quality 2, and a 2026 study found all-night broadband noise reduced REM sleep 3. If you sleep poorly most nights, see a doctor: sound can help, but it doesn’t fix sleep disorders.

Make it comfortable

Pure white noise is bright. We start this page with a mix of white and pink noise, which keeps strong masking while taking the edge off. Try these:

Safe settings

  • Low volume: at or below about 50 decibels, quieter than normal speech, and lower if you can. If it’s loud enough to talk over, it’s too loud.
  • Distance: the phone or speaker on the nightstand or across the room, not by your ear.
  • Timer: the free timer runs up to an hour with a fade; Pro adds 8 hours and longer fades.

White noise for babies

Many parents use white noise for naps and nights. A 2014 study in Pediatrics4 tested 14 infant sound machines at full volume and found every one exceeded the 50-decibel limit for hospital nurseries at 30 cm; three passed 85 decibels. The lead author of the 2026 REM study advised caution with broadband noise for newborns and toddlers 3. Keep the speaker at least a couple of meters away, the volume low, and use a timer. Ask your pediatrician if you have questions.

Compare with brown noise for sleep and rain for sleep, or read our sleep guide.

Sources

  1. Stanchina ML, et al. (2005). The influence of white noise on sleep in subjects exposed to ICU noise. Sleep Medicine.
  2. Riedy SM, Smith MG, Rocha S, Basner M (2021). Noise as a sleep aid: a systematic review. Sleep Medicine Reviews 55:101385.
  3. Basner M, et al. (2026). Efficacy of pink noise and earplugs for mitigating the effects of intermittent environmental noise exposure on sleep. Sleep.
  4. Hugh SC, Wolter NE, Propst EJ, Gordon KA, Cushing SL, Papsin BC (2014). Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels. Pediatrics 133(4):677–681.

Watch: fall asleep with the sleep timer

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Step by step: fall asleep with the sleep timer

  1. Choose a sleep timer. Under the sounds, pick how long it should play: 15 minutes to an hour, free.
  2. It fades out. When the time is up the sound fades away slowly, so the change doesn’t wake you.
  3. All night, with Pro. MoodNoise Pro adds timers up to 10 hours and fade schedules: fade slowly over the last 5 to 60 minutes.

Questions

Is white noise good for sleep?

It helps many people, mostly by masking sudden sounds. It’s most useful in noisy places. Research is mixed, so try it and see.

Is it bad to sleep with white noise every night?

At a low volume, with the speaker away from your head, it’s generally considered fine. Loud noise for hours is what to avoid.

White noise or brown noise for sleep?

White noise masks voices and snoring better; brown noise is softer and better for rumble. Many people mix them.

How far should white noise be from a baby?

Across the room, at least a couple of meters from the crib, at a low volume, as a 2014 Pediatrics study suggested. Ask your pediatrician for advice for your child.

Last updated .