What Is Pink Noise?

Pink noise is an assortment of sounds containing all frequencies humans can hear. Lower frequencies are slightly louder, and higher frequencies are less intense, but all octaves have the same noise energy. Sometimes called fractal noise, is often used to tune loudspeakers and instruments.

What Does Pink Noise Sound Like?

Pink noise often sounds like noises you'd hear in nature. Many describe it as a waterfall-like noise, but it can also sound like wind, rain, a flowing river, the ocean or birdsongs. Pink noise is sometimes reminiscent of urban soundscapes, like cars in traffic (without the honking) or train wheels rolling on tracks.

For many people, the mix of high and low frequencies at a balanced intensity is pleasant and soothing. Pink noise also has the ability to block out unpleasant noises without sounding shrill or harsh. This is why lots of folks find it more relaxing than white noise, which is often higher-pitched.

What Does Pink Noise Do for Sleep?

Like white noise, pink noise helps block out unwanted background noises and replaces them with more soothing sounds. As a result, it can help people (including everyone from adults to kids to infants) fall asleep faster and may help particularly light sleepers get the rest they need.

One small study found that listening to pink noise while sleeping slowed down the participants' brain activity, implying that it could help you get more deep sleep. Another study suggested that pink noise helped participants achieve REM (rapid eye movement), which is associated with dreaming, memory and healthy brain development.

Good sleep quality is crucial for your overall health — but why, exactly? Dive deeper with our blog, Sleep: An Instinctual Necessity.

How Pink Noise Works

Pink noise is one of a few noise colors (including white and brown, among others — more on this below). Each hue describes the frequencies present in the noise. Pink noise is termed pink because the visible light of its unique power spectrum (more audible low frequencies and less audible high frequencies) is pink in appearance.

Though auditory colors help many people fall asleep and potentially sleep deeper, certain sounds and pitches could make it harder to get high-quality shut-eye.

For some, white noise is too high-pitched to be tranquilizing. A better, more soothing option might be pink noise because the lower tones will be more noticeable than the higher ones. Try a few sleep sounds until you find one that makes you feel relaxed enough to fall asleep.

No matter what color you choose, you'll want to think about the volume. Listening to anything too loud could damage your eardrums or lead to hearing loss, especially when using headphones.

And remember, sound isn't the only thing that matters when falling asleep. It's best to go to bed and wake up at a similar time each day. Also, try to keep your bedroom as dark as possible, and avoid using your phone before bed to minimize stimulating lights.

Speaking of light, check out our article on Daylight Savings Ending to see if the bi-annual time change could be over for good soon.

Find answers to frequently asked questions about pink noise below.

Is it OK to listen to pink noise all night?

It's generally considered safe to sleep with pink noise on all night. While it might help you fall asleep (and help you get more stable sleep) by blocking out external sounds, you'll want to be careful about not keeping the volume too high.

What is the best color noise for sleep?

Some consider pink noise the best color for sleep, as it minimizes the higher (potentially irksome) pitches. However, many people like white noise for its more equal distribution of tones, and those with tinnitus might want to go even lower than pink with brown noise.

What are examples of pink noise?

Examples of pink noise include a waterfall, a flowing river, a babbling brook, ocean waves crashing, wind blowing and rainfall. Beyond nature sounds, pink noise can include urban noises like traffic or a rolling train. You can check out this example of pink noise from Sleep Foundation.

What frequency is pink noise?

Sound frequencies are measured in hertz (Hz). Pink noise encompasses all frequencies that humans can hear, ranging from 20 to 20,000 hertz. But the lowest frequencies (500 hertz and below) are the most audible in pink noise.