On average, white noise reduced the time to get into sleep stage 2 by 38% when compared to environmental noise alone. In their experiment, they used white noise at a sound level of 46 dB against an environmental noise level of 40 dB. In a 2017 sleep study at Brigham and Women’s hospital, researchers investigated whether white noise can help healthy subjects to reduce the time to fall asleep (measured as reaching sleep stage 2). In a 2017 study, white noise played at 46 decibels reduced time to fall asleep by 38 percent So the recommended maximum sound level for white noise is 48 dB for me.Īt 50 dB, things start to get annoying. I have done this experiment a few times, and I prefer a sound level from 44 to 48 decibels at a mid-pitched white noise setting. That’s generally the range I would stay in if your bedroom is quiet. Now you have your comfort zone for white noise. Repeat this until the noise becomes annoying to you and measure the sound level a final time.
