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tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:35 PM Jan 2025

Who here uses a white noise machine or any white noise app +/- headphones to help them sleep or whatever reason?

I live in a busy part of Orlando near a major highway, so we get a lot of traffic, especially vehicles with loud mufflers. I also use it if I am in a hotel or if I going on out of town, as I will be doing early next month when I head to New York City to see my parents. For me, if it is dead silent, I feel like I could hear anything that could easily wake me up.

45 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Who here uses a white noise machine or any white noise app +/- headphones to help them sleep or whatever reason? (Original Post) tornado34jh Jan 2025 OP
YouTube videos of rainstorms are great for that. C_U_L8R Jan 2025 #1
I do a variety of ones, sometimes even music will do the trick tornado34jh Jan 2025 #21
Just A TV ProfessorGAC Jan 2025 #2
Unless it is heavy rain/light thunder, hurricane or high winds, I always will have some sort of background noise. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #22
My wife has a sound machine for white noise CanonRay Jan 2025 #3
I guess each person has a different taste to it. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #33
I knew a couple who had to have Scandinavian murder mysteries running to be able to sleep erronis Jan 2025 #4
See my post downstream. I often fall asleep to Keith Morrison doing Dateline episodes....LOL hlthe2b Jan 2025 #7
Interesting. I used to just have sports on at low volume and would just leave it on and I would end up falling asleep tornado34jh Jan 2025 #34
I tell Alexa to play ocean sounds. Ocelot II Jan 2025 #5
Or the station Ambient, or the station Sleep. Works great. Ferrets are Cool Jan 2025 #13
Interesting. I used to have Alexa, but I just never really used it. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #35
I used to sleep to BBC when I worked overseas in non-English speaking countries... it was soothing... hlthe2b Jan 2025 #6
I used to watch Keith Morrison on some of the Investigation Discovery shows tornado34jh Jan 2025 #36
Get Sleepy - podcast ajmstpete Jan 2025 #8
Interesting, it sounds like it would work with the right audiobooks too tornado34jh Jan 2025 #37
I bought a sound machine for my dog & I like it too! CrispyQ Jan 2025 #9
Have you heard of lectrofan? tornado34jh Jan 2025 #38
I have this, makes a light noise and cleans the air Clouds Passing Jan 2025 #10
Interesting, I would have never guessed that. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #39
It is easily portable. The noise is audible, but it's not loud or obnoxious. It's soothing. Clouds Passing Jan 2025 #44
TV in background MaryMagdaline Jan 2025 #11
Youtube has tons of 12 hr videos of music/noise to help you sleep. Probably 1000's of them. Ferrets are Cool Jan 2025 #12
Ironically, dark ambient sometimes makes me sleep, and I don't know why. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #40
I use the sound generator on my iPhone. TomSlick Jan 2025 #14
My iPhone purrs if I want it to. Ocelot II Jan 2025 #17
I'll look for that. TomSlick Jan 2025 #19
The one I use is TM White Noise Pro tornado34jh Jan 2025 #41
I use the app "Sleep Pillow" on my iphone, woodsprite Jan 2025 #15
I bought a detacated sound machine years ago. I liked it...I can sleep with it or without it..But I liked it.I now use mitch96 Jan 2025 #16
I have the original white-noise, put-you-to-sleep app. Intractable Jan 2025 #18
Same here. TurboDem Jan 2025 #31
always Skittles Jan 2025 #20
Ugh, I hate the sounds of weed eaters and leaf blowers tornado34jh Jan 2025 #25
I usually have Alexa play Windy Leaves unless my air filter is running. nt Ilsa Jan 2025 #23
Interesting. I used to have a white noise machine that had summer night sounds and all that. tornado34jh Jan 2025 #24
Sleepphones by Acoustic Sheep ultralite001 Jan 2025 #26
Being a light sleeper I have used a white noise machine for years. Nt yaesu Jan 2025 #27
I have a sound machine set at "ocean waves" nuxvomica Jan 2025 #28
to counter tinnitus Stardust Mirror Jan 2025 #29
I'm the opposite 10 Turtle Day Jan 2025 #30
I listen to thunderstorm sounds, and Luciferous Jan 2025 #32
Movies. It's like having a bed time story. wnylib Jan 2025 #42
For relaxing electronica, try Somafm.com bif Jan 2025 #43
My wife and I sleep with the window open and the fan on Aristus Jan 2025 #45

C_U_L8R

(47,270 posts)
1. YouTube videos of rainstorms are great for that.
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:39 PM
Jan 2025

They also have tons of other kinds of sleep audio.
We have a paid account so no ads.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
21. I do a variety of ones, sometimes even music will do the trick
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 01:08 AM
Jan 2025

But it depends on which one is it. If I don't have a computer, I use the white noise app.

ProfessorGAC

(72,580 posts)
2. Just A TV
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:41 PM
Jan 2025

I have 2 TVs that run through a surround system.
The TV can be off but audio is still on.
I just have to have some background sound.
Otherwise just the dog snoring will wake me up.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
22. Unless it is heavy rain/light thunder, hurricane or high winds, I always will have some sort of background noise.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 01:12 AM
Jan 2025

Especially where I live, we have lots of vehicle traffic.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
33. I guess each person has a different taste to it.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:25 PM
Jan 2025

I used to live in an upstairs apartment and I could hear the people downstairs, so it would drive me nuts that I had to use one.

erronis

(19,603 posts)
4. I knew a couple who had to have Scandinavian murder mysteries running to be able to sleep
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:46 PM
Jan 2025

When I was at their house in the guest room next to their bedroom, all I could hear were these deep-throated voices and then some unpleasantness. Couldn't make out anything specific but after 3+ hours I found some brown noise on my laptop.

hlthe2b

(109,635 posts)
7. See my post downstream. I often fall asleep to Keith Morrison doing Dateline episodes....LOL
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:53 PM
Jan 2025

I don't remember what I heard--just that it was the soothing sound of his voice.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
34. Interesting. I used to just have sports on at low volume and would just leave it on and I would end up falling asleep
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:27 PM
Jan 2025

But then again, I guess my couch was really comfortable.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
35. Interesting. I used to have Alexa, but I just never really used it.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:30 PM
Jan 2025

Also, I use extensions on Chrome that you can use to change the EQ and use filters to expand the timbres.

hlthe2b

(109,635 posts)
6. I used to sleep to BBC when I worked overseas in non-English speaking countries... it was soothing...
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 09:48 PM
Jan 2025

Now I find it difficult to sleep in silence and often listen to TUNE-IN radio repeats of the day's MSNBC shows (which on weekends will turn into Dateline)... As bizarre as it might sound, the sound of some of those Dateline hosts is very soothing as well--especially Keith Morrison (and I am oblivious to what they are saying/reporting)... Yeah, I'm strange...

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
36. I used to watch Keith Morrison on some of the Investigation Discovery shows
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:32 PM
Jan 2025

His voice actually fits very well into it with all those crime mysteries.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
37. Interesting, it sounds like it would work with the right audiobooks too
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:34 PM
Jan 2025

I am sure I could find some good ones.

CrispyQ

(39,615 posts)
9. I bought a sound machine for my dog & I like it too!
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 10:04 PM
Jan 2025

We fall asleep to gentle rain. It has lots of other sounds too including white noise, nature sounds, a metronome, & mechanical noises.. The unit is small so you can take it with you & only cost about 20 bucks.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
38. Have you heard of lectrofan?
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:39 PM
Jan 2025

I have that and I think it has sounds like fans, HVAC vents, white noise, that sort of thing. It's around 50 dollars.

Clouds Passing

(4,669 posts)
10. I have this, makes a light noise and cleans the air
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 10:08 PM
Jan 2025

Germ Guardian GG1100W 7” Pluggable Small Air Purifier, Small Room Wall Air Sanitizer, Freshens Air, UV-C Light Kills Germs, Reduces Odors from Pets, Cooking, Mold

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
39. Interesting, I would have never guessed that.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:42 PM
Jan 2025

It sounds like it is good. I always thought UV-C light germ purifiers would be really quiet, but then again, I guess I have not noticed them around much.

Clouds Passing

(4,669 posts)
44. It is easily portable. The noise is audible, but it's not loud or obnoxious. It's soothing.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 11:03 AM
Jan 2025

One downside the light is bright so if you like to sleep in the dark, you would need to find a way to cover it without blocking air flow.

Ferrets are Cool

(22,174 posts)
12. Youtube has tons of 12 hr videos of music/noise to help you sleep. Probably 1000's of them.
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 10:57 PM
Jan 2025

Most of them that use black screens after a few minutes. I use them ALL the time.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
40. Ironically, dark ambient sometimes makes me sleep, and I don't know why.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:47 PM
Jan 2025

You would think it would make me stressed, but it doesn't, at least for some of them. I also use chrome extensions like eq8 and others to shape the sound.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
41. The one I use is TM White Noise Pro
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 11:48 PM
Jan 2025

This one has a free market app where you can download different sounds.

woodsprite

(12,420 posts)
15. I use the app "Sleep Pillow" on my iphone,
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 11:09 PM
Jan 2025

and have a white noise/air filter machine in our bedroom. I’m a terribly light sleeper (so much that my parents would say I’d wake up if a fly walked across the floor). It served me well as a mom, but at 61, I think I should be getting out of that habit. No munchkins to meet halfway down the hall at 3am because a train blew its whistle and scared them.

I’m very self conscious of snoring or heavy breathing and I will wake myself up if I think I’m breathing too heavy. I think it’s because my family has always complained about snoring. Nobody has ever produced a recording of it so I’m thinking they’re actually hearing their dad (who has sleep apnea).

mitch96

(15,199 posts)
16. I bought a detacated sound machine years ago. I liked it...I can sleep with it or without it..But I liked it.I now use
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 11:10 PM
Jan 2025

a stand alone HEPA filter in my bedroom and I get the same "sound machine" effect. A "tooFer"
m

Intractable

(1,003 posts)
18. I have the original white-noise, put-you-to-sleep app.
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 11:32 PM
Jan 2025

It's called a fan. It makes perfect analog white noise for sleeping.

Without it, I hear all the little noises in the night, including my own tinnitus.

TurboDem

(316 posts)
31. Same here.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 07:25 AM
Jan 2025

I find it almost impossible to sleep without a fan set on low. The gentle hum and light breeze makes me sleep like a baby.

Skittles

(164,067 posts)
20. always
Wed Jan 15, 2025, 11:52 PM
Jan 2025

mine sounds a bit like a jet engine.....I wear earplugs too

longtime habits from working 12 hour night shifts

the only failure was the weed eaters and leaf blowers

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
25. Ugh, I hate the sounds of weed eaters and leaf blowers
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 02:38 AM
Jan 2025

If it's a summer day and the lawn mowers are in the background, that's fine. I used to wait outside until thunderstorms came in, and the sound of distant lawnmowers would help.

tornado34jh

(1,473 posts)
24. Interesting. I used to have a white noise machine that had summer night sounds and all that.
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 02:36 AM
Jan 2025

However, during certain periods of time the audio would cut off, and it was waking me up, so I got something called Electrofan, and it has never failed me.

ultralite001

(1,629 posts)
26. Sleepphones by Acoustic Sheep
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 03:24 AM
Jan 2025

I’ve used them for years…

They have their own sleep sound system… or I will Bluetooth connect to my iPhone or TV… music, rain, ocean, thunderstorm or an audiobook or podcast — whatever it takes — to put me to sleep… ❤️🧡🩵 them…

PS I have tinnitus, + they have been a lifesaver…

nuxvomica

(13,301 posts)
28. I have a sound machine set at "ocean waves"
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 04:10 AM
Jan 2025

Best movie to fall asleep during is the 1936 British production of Shakespeare's As You Like It starring Elisabeth Bergner and Laurence Olivier. It's like listening to a babbling brook. This is in no way a criticism of the film.

10 Turtle Day

(731 posts)
30. I'm the opposite
Thu Jan 16, 2025, 07:25 AM
Jan 2025

I wear ear plugs at night. I have for decades since working swing and graveyard shifts. They muffle most extraneous noises.

wnylib

(25,256 posts)
42. Movies. It's like having a bed time story.
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 09:06 AM
Jan 2025

Must be a movie that does not require attention to details or it will keep me awake. No detective stories loaded with clues to figure out. Also, not a new one that I have never seen or I'll stay awake to see the ending.

Does not need to be slow action or dull. Just not new and not full of details that require mental focus.

bif

(25,393 posts)
43. For relaxing electronica, try Somafm.com
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 09:25 AM
Jan 2025

It has numerous channels with peaceful drone music.

I listen to it when I paint.

Aristus

(69,913 posts)
45. My wife and I sleep with the window open and the fan on
Fri Jan 17, 2025, 11:50 AM
Jan 2025

all year-round, even in the coldest weather.

I need the white noise to help me sleep, and Mrs. Aristus need the cold air to soothe what is essentially a permanent state of hot-flash.

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