What is white noise?
White noise, also called white sound, is not a "noise." White noise is actually a sound frequency or a signal that one hears as a gentle hiss, similar to the sound of wind rustling through trees, a waterfall, radio static or the ocean surf. To use a simple analogy, the color white contains the whole spectrum of colors of light. Similarly, white noise is created by using the entire spectrum of frequencies the human ear can hear. In Pure White Noise's state-of-the-art sound labs, they digitally create white noise by tuning and adjusting all of the sound frequencies to generate equal amounts of each frequency. They then test and calibrate the sound to ensure that all the frequencies are present in the correct amount, creating a soothing sound signal known as white noise.


How does white noise help me relax or work as a sleep aid?
Life is full of disruptive sounds and noises, such as honking car horns, barking dogs, noisy neighbors, annoying snoring and screaming sirens.
Unlike playing music in such instances, white noise does not add to the clamor of noise. Instead, white noise contains equal frequencies of all sounds. Research has shown that a steady, monotonous stream of the same peaceful sound, such as white noise, can filter and mask distracting noises. This gentle continuous sound promotes a calm mood to help you relax and/or fall asleep.


Does white noise mask office noise and acoustics, especially in a cubicle?
Yes.
Even the workplace is not immune to distracting noise, especially within a cubicle office environment: background noise consisting of co-workers talking loudly on the phone, annoying office machines and other stressful bothersome sounds can hinder your concentration or invade your privacy.
White noise has long been used for sound masking acoustic systems in the workplace for its noise reduction and privacy benefits. To block noise and make it more conducive for you to concentrate on your work, especially in a cubicle, listen to our white noise CDs on your own personal CD player; use headphones if feasible.


Where and when can I use 100% white noise?
Given today's hectic lifestyles, white noise provides an oasis of calm that can help you feel better and work more productively. You can even listen to the white noise through headphones, too!
Here are just a few of the many ways you can use white noise (ideal for infants and children, too!):
• As part of your regular sleep routine
Play the white noise to comfortably mask outside sounds such as traffic, TV, snoring or other disturbing noises, for a good night's sleep.
• Relieve insomnia, sleeplessness or restlessness
Use white noise as an effective sleep aid, without drugs or pain medications! Its soothing sound is ideal for alleviating sleep disorders like insomnia, so that you can wake up more refreshed.
• Enhance your work environment
Improve concentration and productivity at the office by using white noise to mask distracting conversations, office equipment sounds or other noise.
• Improve study skills
Tune out noisy study areas, loud dormitories or even snoring roommates! White noise is great for improving attention spans and concentration skills.
• Take white noise on the road!
Take your own "comfort zone" with you when traveling. Mask loud, annoying outside hotel noises for a good night's rest. Never leave home without 100% pure white noise!


Is white noise good for babies, especially for colic?
Absolutely.
The same soothing sonic benefits of white noise are quite effective in creating the right ambience for both parent and child to enable a safe yet natural sleep. Our customers have told us that our baby white noise CDs are particularly helpful in calming fussy or crying babies with colic, too. In fact, children under age 5 (and their harried parents!) can benefit from white noise.
White noise music is available in childrens lullabies, too, (just ask!) where each lullaby sound track is embedded with white noise and other therapeutic audio benefits, to help your child relax and sleep.


Can white noise help mask symptoms of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hyperacusis(acute sound sensitivity)?
Yes! Tinnitus is the medical term for "ringing in the ears." Tinnitus may also be a symptom of Ménière's Disease, an inner ear disorder. Hyperacusis is a condition where all sounds are painfully too loud.
Among their recommendations for alleviating tinnitus symptoms, many audiologists suggest masking the ringing sound: play a competing sound at a constant low level, such white noise, to mask the tinnitus and make it less noticeable. The Hyperacusis Network notes that "White noise contains all frequencies, and therefore very gently stimulates all the nerve cells in the these subconscious networks, allowing them to be more easily programmed, or reset, so that tinnitus signals are no longer detected. It also reduces the contrast between tinnitus and otherwise total silence."
For hyperacusis sufferers, listening to white noise for a specific period of time every day can help improve the tolerance of sound. White noise therapy is not a cure, yet it may help improve the quality of life in a noisy world.
Be sure to check with your physician or audiology professional to determine if our white noise CDs would be a beneficial masker for your particular case of tinnitus, hyperacusis or Ménière's Disease.


Does white noise ease the vertigo and dizzy spells associated with vestibular or inner ear disorders?
Absolutely. For some people, dizziness or vertigo can also be a symptom of ringing in the ears (tinnitus) or Ménière's Disease. Here, too, playing white noise can help ease those dizzy spells.


How does white noise help those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD), autism and other sensory integration and learning disorders?
The benefit of white noise for anyone is that it can help lessen the noisy distractions of one's physical environment. That's why it's used to help people relax, sleep, and concentrate better.
Individuals with ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity, impulsiveness and other similar disabilities are more easily distracted by different sights and sounds within their surroundings. By masking or cancelling out extraneous sounds, white noise can be a very effective part of an overall program to promote greater focus, concentration, and productivity, as well as improved interpersonal behavior.
ADD/ADHD is recognized as a disability under United States federal legislation (the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Americans With Disabilities Act; and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act). White noise may be an appropriate and reasonable accommodation at school for children with ADD/ADHD, and in the workplace for adults with ADD/ADHD.


Is it true that white noise can help pets, especially dogs?
Yes, it is true! White noise is often recommended as a behavior modification tool, to help manage your pets' behavior, especially to relax them.
Many dog owners play white noise as an anti-bark control to stop their dogs from incessant barking at loud noises or if they're suffering from separation anxiety or fear. White noise also helps comforts your scared or nervous pet, especially if it's experiencing some form of pet phobia.
And, pets love to fall asleep to white noise, just like humans!


How are these white noise albums better than white noise generators, white noise machines or sound conditioners machines?
The white noise / sound conditioner machines and generators seen in stores or magazines may not be producing white noise with the full frequency spectrum. In reality, they may actually be creating controlled static, which does not offer the audio therapy qualities or the soothing tone of 100% pure white noise.
Our white noise CDs are carefully created to deliver soothing white noise benefits without purchasing any expensive machines, or lugging one around with you.

Best of all, you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to enjoy the benefits of white noise!

After all, isn't it much easier and more cost-effective to just pop a pure white noise CD in your CD player and relax whenever and wherever you wish?

More importantly, with a CD player you have full control over the bass, treble, volume and other sound settings that will make each white noise CD more effective for you and your surroundings.


Can’t I just run a fan, vacuum cleaner or other motor sounds to create white noise?
No! When you run an actual machine or motors such as vacuum cleaners, fans or blow dryers, all you get is noise; white noise is a sound frequency.
Pure white noise combines all sound frequencies together, with equal values of low frequencies all the way up to very high frequencies.
With real electric motors, you have no control over loudness, tone, sound frequency or pitch, which can cause ear fatigue and irritability from prolonged exposure. (Can you imagine listening to a vacuum cleaner or blow dryer all night?) It also may not make a lot of sense running a fan or air conditioner in the dead of winter!
That’s why our white noise CDs can be an ideal solution. In our studios, we carefully record, re-mix and digitally master the sounds of nature or machines to create white noise at its finest. With white noise on your CD player, you’ll have full control over the sound such as volume and tone to customize its benefits for your individual situation or mood.
This meticulous melding of frequencies creates a very soothing, restful bed of sound that's conducive to higher productivity in your work or studies, as well as setting the mood for rest, relaxation and sleep, or masking or blocking out noises.


Can I download free white noise wav or MP3 sound files?
We have a free sample download for every CD we sell in both MP3 and Wav. We suggest MP3 for the fastest download but if you have an older computer it may be necessary to download the wav file.

Do You Have Any Articles on the Subject?
The following article was written by Reg Furlogh on White Noise:
You keep hearing and reading about all the wonderful properties of this magical "white noise" and how it helps humans (and even animals) relax and sleep. Before we look at what white noise is used for and how to add it to your environment, let us first examine what white noise really is.

To understand the promise of white noise, one must first understand its mechanics. In its purest form, it is not really noise at all. White noise, which is also known as white sound, is a combination of sound frequencies in equal amounts. Just like a white beam of light is made up of all the colors in the color spectrum, white noise is made up of all the sound frequencies.

Because it incorporates all sound frequencies from high sounds to very low sounds, it has a very beneficial noise canceling or "masking" effect.

But what does the white noise sound like? Well, the best description would be to say it sounds like a slow soothing "whoosh." Many say it is the sound of the rain, or the waves gently caressing the shore, or the wind blowing through the trees.

It is a very peaceful sound that is instinctively soothing and calming to the ears and minds of humans of all ages. White noise is actually a sound given to us by Mother Nature, in the same way as she has provided us with water and air. To learn more about the properties of white noise, you may choose to read about it on HowStuffWorks.com.

What is the healing power of white noise?

The next question is, what is white noise used for?

Parents have learned to truly appreciate the therapeutic value of white noise with a new baby in their home. It has been noted to be very useful in quieting a crying or fussy baby, even with babies suffering from colic.

Folks who are always contending with environmental noise pollution find white noise to be essential to increasing their productivity. College students and office workers use white noise to mask sounds that may compromise their concentration.

White noise is even recognized as a sound masking treatment for those suffering from tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hyperacusis and other inner ear disorders.

Still others use white noise to mask the sounds that interrupt their sleep. Whether you must contend with traffic rumbling down nearby thoroughfares, barking dogs or your spouse's snore, white noise can be used to effectively mask these sounds as well. The net result is a more restful sleep with the full rejuvenating benefits a good night's sleep can bring. Night shift workers who need to sleep during the day are equally delighted with the masking effects of white noise.

At this point, we have discovered what white noise is and how it can be used to improve your life. Now, we must consider how white noise can be introduced into your personal environment.

How can white noise be obtained?

White noise can actually be obtained in many forms.

Some people say that radio static or the humming sound of a running fan or air conditioner provides white noise. Unfortunately, with these methods, you really cannot control the volume or tone of these sounds. More importantly, you really would not want to run a fan or air conditioner in the winter, would you? Additionally, you would not want to run the risk of burning out your expensive fan motors either.

There had to be a better way.

Some companies produce white noise sound machines and white noise generators. These devices are not only bulky or cumbersome to use, they can be also expensive to acquire.

Again, there had to be a better way.

With the advantage of the technology of the Compact Disk to replicate perfect sound very inexpensively, why should one have to buy a machine or generator?

CD's are not only very cost effective and portable, but allow you to control its volume through your existing CD player. Specifically, white noise CDs give you the flexibility to more precisely achieve the proper sound level needed to mask sounds without being too loud on your hearing. You can boost the bass to cover the low rumbles like truck noise or snoring. And you can use the "repeat" function to have white noise mask out disruptive sounds all night long.

White noise can be obtained in different formats such as ocean waves and the wind. Of course, these are not the real ocean waves and wind but pure white noise in the soothing rhythmic pattern of waves or the dynamic intensity of the wind.

Pure white noise CD's can be sampled and acquired from yourfavouriteshop.com in Europe and purewhitenoise.com in the US/Canada.

In the end, the importance of white noise is not in the format from which you acquire its therapeutic values. What is really important is your good health. Explore today how white noise can help you relax, sleep or improve your concentration.

Copyright © Reg Furlough. Reg is the head of Reg Furlough Productions. Since 1985, his expertise in white noise and sound technology has successfully benefited thousands of children and adults. For more information, contact him via email, or his website, purewhitenoise.com. Reprinted with permission.

For More Information you can visit the Manufacturers Website at www.purewhitenoise.com