Rain and Pink Noise
Rain generated on your device over pink noise. No headphones needed.
How is it made?
- Rain (ambient sound generated on your device)
- Pink noise
Sound is generated on this device in real time; no files are downloaded from a server. There is a 10 s fade-in at the start and a 10 min fade-out at the end.
Evidence
C · Preliminary/mixed evidenceSmall trials or pilot studies; inconsistent results.
Helps mask surrounding sounds.
Evidence level B: Moderate evidence- What do we know?
- Auditory masking is an established psychoacoustic phenomenon: a steady sound raises the detection threshold of other sounds in similar frequency bands. This is why noise is used to cover ambient sounds.
- What don't we know?
- It is not clear that masking translates into protected sleep: in a 25-person lab study, adding pink noise to intermittent environmental noise worsened sleep structure further, and earplugs worked better. A systematic review warns that continuous noise may also affect hearing.
Evidence on sleep is low quality and mixed; in one study pink noise reduced REM sleep. Keep the volume low.
Evidence level C: Preliminary/mixed evidence- What do we know?
- A meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials of white noise found better sleep-quality scores in adults and older adults; much of the evidence comes from intensive-care patients and infants. In a review of 34 studies, 19 reported positive results (only 6 of 18 for white noise). A 2025 systematic review of 7 randomised trials in hospitalised adults found white noise improved sleep efficiency and was well tolerated; the studies were small and varied, so no meta-analysis was possible.
- What don't we know?
- A systematic review of 38 studies rated the evidence 'very low' quality and warned that continuous noise may harm sleep and hearing. In a 25-person lab study, pink noise (50 dBA) reduced REM sleep by 18.6 minutes in one night. Some infant sleep machines were measured reaching hazardous levels at maximum volume.
A session's level is the weakest of its linked claims; it is never raised by a strong but unrelated claim.
Keep your device volume comfortable, preferably below 60%. You can also use your device's headphone-safety settings.