If flipping around your bed is something you’re familiar with, then you’ve probably encountered the latest TikTok obsession: brown noise. Although the concept itself isn’t new: there are white and pink noises that promise similar results as brown noise, some differences exist between the infamous pink, white, and brown noises. But, what exactly is this new obsession – brown noise – and why do you need to try it?
Brown noise has been a topic of interest on TikTok lately. In fact, the hashtag #brownnoise has scored around 59M views up till now, with many people swearing by the effects brown noise has on their sleep quality, concentration, stress, ADHD symptoms, and anxiety levels.
While the existence of three colors seems confusing because you don’t know which to choose, it all comes down to personal preference. The colors refer to different frequencies – frequencies that block out different sounds in your background: someone snoring, a loud fan, horns in the streets, or your neighbors fighting for the tenth time today.
White noise can be better at blocking out louder noises, although it might be too high-pitched and annoying for some people. Brown noise is more on the low side and sounds like a radio. Hence, for you to choose, you have to try them all because there’s no size that fits all when it comes to white, pink, and brown noises. Everyone reacts differently to each one of them and might even despise all of them, or find them annoying.
However, the common ground between all three noises is that they’re used to disrupt background noises that interrupt your sleep. The different frequencies and wavelengths in these noises, hence them being referred to as “Broadband sounds”, reduce the differences between the background noises and the white, pink, or brown noise. This makes the background noises less noticeable, allowing you to concentrate more and sleep better.
What exactly is brown noise?
This increasingly popular sound got its name from a botanist, Robert Brown. Robert Brown is the first person to discover the “Brownian motion”, which is the movement of particles as a result of the collision of molecules in the medium surrounding it. Brown noise has the deepest bass of them all, which some people might find uncomfortable, and others might find extremely soothing.
Brown noise is more of a deep hum, similar to the sound of heavy rain, waterfall, or the rumble of thunder. Again, there’s no doubt that these sounds aren’t guaranteed to provide the same effects for all people since it’s all a matter of personal preference.
To understand the difference and choose the one best for you, you have to try them all yourself. There are a handful of videos on YouTube to listen to white, brown, and pink noises. Or you can even try natural brown noise by listening to the rumble of thunder when you come across one! Let us know which one you prefer when you try them.