Mathias Basner, MD, PhD, a professor of Sleep and Chronobiology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, is skeptical.

White noise is not only purported to mask disruptive noises, but also to be a non-pharmacological approach for promoting sleep and improving its quality. A quick search for “white noise sleep” brings up 87,100 Google News results, and more than 200 white noise applications are available for download on Google Play. That’s why many people rely on the low, static buzz of a sleep sound machine or smartphone application when they can’t sleep. According to a 2018 study from Penn Medicine researchers, about a quarter of Americans experience acute insomnia each year.īut the increased stress and anxiety of the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating sleep issues - leading to what some experts have dubbed “COVID-somnia” or “coronasomnia.” Getting a good night’s rest can be difficult even under the best of circumstances.

You finally begin to nod off, until suddenly, passing sirens sound off outside of your window, jolting you awake. and you’re doomscrolling through Twitter, dreading another day of getting your kids through virtual school, and worrying about your ill mother.

How to get rid of white noise