How Does White Noise Help Babies Sleep?

White noise is created when lots of different sound frequencies mix together to make a continuous sound

. Around the house things such as a fan, a hairdryer or a vacuum cleaner make white noise.

The world can be a bit of a shock to new babies and background noises that we are used to as adults, such as the neighbour's dog barking, the phone ringing or passing traffic stimulates them easily.

Your newborn is not yet able to block out all background noises and can easily become over stimulated, which in turn will make it difficult for him to get to sleep.

White noise, such as the sound of the hoover or a hairdryer will completely drown out these other noises and enables your baby to relax. Once asleep, your baby has short sleep cycles (between 30 and 45 minutes). As he transitions from one sleep to another, he enters a lighter sleep, during which he can be more easily woken by household noises. White noise played in the nursery while baby sleeps will help prevent him from waking as he enters a light sleep.

However, it is more than just this sound that works to calm babies and help them sleep. It is also the level of the noise. For example, the sound of a hoover played softly is unlikely to help your baby switch off from other noises around him. Turn on your hoover however, and the sheer volume of it will be enough to drown out all other noises and hopefully settle your baby within minutes.

We know how white noise can help your baby to sleep but there are two problems with leaving your baby by the hairdryer! The first is it is not feasible to leave your vacuum cleaner, hairdryer or television on all night while your baby sleeps! The second is that research has shown that overexposure to white noise can have a detrimental effect on a baby's hearing and speech development. An article published in Science in 2003 raised concerns about the negative effects when infants are exposed to high levels of unpatterned white noise.

Whilst you want to help your baby to feel relaxed and to sleep well, of course you don't want to risk harming his development. Natural sounds such as the sea, a waterfall or sounds of the rainforest have proved to be as effective as artificial white noise in settling babies. The sound of the sea lapping against the shoreline is particularly relaxing and is an excellent way of helping your baby relax and fall asleep feeling secure and comforted.

by: Lucy Fitzgerald.

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