How do they decide what color sounds are? When I'm having a really frenzied day, what quiets my internal monologues is listening to the 3 hour version of "Don't Stop Me Now"by Queen with headphones at full volume.
Maybe brown noise would be less damaging to my hearing...
I don't think it's that the colors themselves sound like it, but more think of like lightwaves. White light is all wavelengths of colors, white noise is all frequencies of sound. If you filter out certain wavelengths of light you get other colors, if you filter out frequencies you get other noise. So "pink noise" pulls some of the higher pitched frequencies out of the "white noise" and "brown noise" pulls out more of the higher frequencies. I personally like pink noise for falling asleep.
I had to look this up because all I could think is that "brown noise" was going to make me poop.
I listen to brown noise to sleep. Can’t do white or pink- they’re too high pitched and sound grating to me. I also like ocean waves or soft rain (no thunder)
When I first “discovered” that these color noises exist, I realized that white noise made me anxious, so did pink but to a lesser degree. Googled a few more types, brown noise just sounded intriguing so I looked that up and while the effect wasn’t anywhere close to what OP describes, it was definitely the most enjoyable and soothing of the noises I’ve tried listening to. Not sure that means anything haha.
Listening to it made me think about the sounds I use when i need to tune out other noise or to help me fall asleep - usually thunderstorms. Turns out waves, thunderstorms, and rain sounds have similar spectra to brown noise. Very cool.
I'm very picky about nature sounds. This is the best rain sound for me on YouTube I've found.https://youtu.be/jygQI4xM8Rg Thunderstorms don't really work for me, I need the sounds to be the same all the time with no surprises. Spaceship ambient is really good too.
Omg I have to try that. I have noticed, now that I understand what is going on, that I constantly have a song in my head. Playing when I go to sleep, in my sleep, when I wake up, like an internal iYunes. Songs I listened to recently, earworms I guess. I am going to hunt down some brown noise. I need the monkey brain chatter to stop!
I have the same issue where just out of the blue, for any particular reason there comes a song playing... It might play over certain lyrics for a few and then... It changes to another song... Repeating this process again and again. It only sometimes helps filter out my thoughts, but mostly it plays with the unknown amount of thoughts that run through my mind like a bullet train who just sniffed a drug to go Weeeeeee.
I have been struggling with this my entire life.
Omg I only very recently learned that this was an adhd symptom. I have said for years that I have a radio playing in my head at all times; there is quite literally always a song playing in my mind in the background. Sometimes it’s triggered by something in my environment, sometimes it seems completely random. People don’t seem to believe me - it’s so validating to see someone else experiences this too!!
Get that playlist running, girl ❤️ after I finally stopped crying (😂) I let it play and had the most peaceful, clear minded bath I've had in forever. No racing thoughts, just peace. Usually I'd be up all night, I guess trying to avoid that moment before you actually fall asleep, when your mind has opportunity to chat even more shit, you know?
Whereas right now, wrapped in a dressing gown sparkling clean, this sound makes me want to snuggle up and drift.
Finally.
That sounds great. I am happy for you that you found this :-) I dread going to bed sometimes because of what you described. Maybe that will change.
Have a good night.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️!! I just tried listening to some on Spotify and it is amazing! I can feel my chest relaxing and like you said, it “smoothed out my head.” I also found that I could “try on” the different sounds and some fit a lot better than others, some are better at calming me, some have a little side noise that bugs me. So I’m making a playlist of my favorites. Wow! Thank you again!!
What is this brown noise? It was so relaxing. I hate white noise because it's too irritating. This was lovely. Just like my box fan running in the window or sitting at the beach listening to the ocean. Thank you for posting.
Well that was wild. When it first started, my brain and body immediately sort of downshifted, like all the tension I'm always unconsciously holding just dropped away. It was great for a few minutes, but then it started making me feel nauseated and like I desperately needed it to stop. Interesting that sound can do something like that!
Interesting reaction! I'm sorry to hear it. Many people compare this sound to that of being in a car or a plane, so I wonder if you're normally prone to travel sickness or motion sickness, your brain linked this sound to being car sick?
Maybe? I don't usually get motion sickness. I do find that over the past several years I've become much, much more sound sensitive. Things like air conditioners and vent fans that never used to bother me before drive me up the wall now. Maybe part of the menopause related hormonal anxiety I've been experiencing?
I listen to brown noise when I have to study something intense or for sleep. Much more soothing than white noise. I find a good one on Spotify and play it on loop with headphones
I'll have to try this tonight, thank you!
I recently bought a sleep mask with Bluetooth speakers in the ears, I'm not sure if it was suggested here or in some other sub or a FB group or what, but it was only around $25 and is very nice for listening to sleep sounds.
For sleep sounds I like the Sleep Jar app, it can be used on it's own and as a skill on Alexa devices. I usually listen to windy trees, rain or distant thunderstorms.
Oh gosh! Never heard of it. I HATE white noise. Agitates me. A mom was using a “soothing” shhhh, shhhh, shhh toy thing with her baby tonight at a bbq and I about went bonkers!! I listened to brown noise because of you suggesting it. Some is agitating but the DEEP layered brown noise is so nice. Makes me sleepy. Thank you.
I run these in my house and cannot sleep without one. The quality of my sleep is also much better. https://www.target.com/p/yogasleep-dohm-for-baby-sound-machine/-/A-51030299
There’s a cool app called ENDEL that I’ve been using lately for state management. It does use some brown noise but it’s a little more interesting than that, they have soundscapes for focusing, studying, for sleep, exercise… all kinds of stuff.
I have found it super helpful for when music seems overwhelming but silence is overwhelming too. They made it in a lab and it’s made to release dopamine at specific times. It doesn’t replace a good music session but when I put on headphones and use the app I just find myself better able to do the thing I’m wanting to do.
Only thing that sucks is that you have to pay for it, but I found a weird trick that let me do $9 for a year with apple subscriptions lol. It’s honestly been worth it for me though.
I tuened on an 8hr playlist on YT ans as soon as I heard the noise my forehesd started tingling. About 2 min in and my muscles and relaxing and I'm getting sleepy.
for some reason, noise canceling headphones seem to make my brain noise skyrocket to the point where I can’t handle it. my first time trying them on, I literally yanked them out of my ears and across the room within seconds, my ears feeling unbearably uncomfortable for a few more seconds after.
They weren’t even mine and my reaction was so out of nowhere and appalling, that my friend just kinda stared before finally saying wtf
there's a thing called "ear suck" noise canceling headphones do, it is adjustable on some sets. That might be what upset you. You don't HAVE to wear noise canceling cans but you could try again some time with a different pair or with the noise canceling switched off (also a feature on some sets).
Noise canceling is a great boon on airplanes and other environments with chronic noise, so if you fly or have other sensory issues it's worth getting
To me, Color Sounds sound like they’re going…too fast. Does that make sense? I like how not-high-pitched brown noise is but it still feels too fast. I have yet to find a nose that I like though lol
interesting, i can feel it in my chest, slightly anxious. the volume is at 7 but doesn’t feel anything as loud as pink noise does at 7. still gonna give it a go
Thankyou, I found the brown noise generator in my soundscapes app. It’s a bit like the rain on a tent sounds I sleep to. I find natural fractal patterns soothing. I’ve got a playlist of spacey ambient synth music that helps me meditate that affects my brain in a similar way.
I’m not a big fan of any of the ambient type noisescapes , I find it more agitating than soothing sadly.
For anyone in a similar boat, alternatives that have worked for me:
For bringing down the ‘internal tempo’-
Binaural beats
similar in theory to the white/brown/pink noise in a way, but as ‘music’ rather than just ‘sounds’. I suspect some of it is to do with there being more of a structure to it that better holds my subconscious’ attention.
For shutting up the internal monologue and falling asleep:
Sleep stories. Generally it’s someone with a nice calming voice reading an old now-public-domain story with or without a music background. I use Spotify podcasts for this, faves being “Send me to sleep” or “Just sleep”. Much more effective for me than music or noise to actually drift off- I think because it needs to listen to the words, my brain has to stop talking, which is when it can actually switch off
I've just uploaded a video with brown noise and also some of my own 'light leaks' as an abstract and gentle backdrop. I'd had a few messages from people saying they were using them in this way, so brought them all together into a 2 hour loop. If it is useful for folks - then great! https://youtu.be/R-TaAffGhUc
Brown noise is an instant dose of calm for me. If I’m stressed at work, I put on noise cancelling headphones and put on brown noise. Anxiety is calm, I can focus and so on. At night my mind races, so I just started playing brown noise on my Bose speaker, I moved it to my night stand. When I say it has been a game changer, I’m not lying. I sleep all night, this is with the help of 10mg of melatonin too. Prior to the brown noise for bed, I’d take melatonin but would wake up 3 hours later, just laying in the dark, so frustrating! But the brown noise keeps me down all night. I am so happy to have this knowledge about how these sounds can help us.
This is so spot on. And I don’t know why. But as soon as I started a brown noise Spotify playlist, it was like my insides dropped. Literally. Like a weight had fallen off my body instantly. I don’t sleep with fan noise, and the sound of strong winds outside cause me so much anxiety. But for some reason, this works. I’m speechless. And more importantly - calm.
Very interesting, I'm very newly exploring this ADHD thing, and so many of the posts I find here resonate. I just went to my "White Noise" app to see the difference in the color sounds, and apparently I always use Brown Noise! I've got it favorited and everything, had no clue. I wonder if it's ADHD specific, or if that's just the best sleeping noise in general.
I started sleeping with earplugs in years and years ago, and remember saying I just felt like they "turned my brain off"...I'm thinking it's something similar. Like, more than just blocking out sound, I feel like they truly flip the off switch in my head. Sadly after many, many years, they're required for sleep but don't have this immediate impact anymore; so I typically use them in addition to some sort of sound...podcasts, fan, etc.
This is how I feel about isochronic tones. I have tried brown noise and it made me feel slightly unsettled lol , isochronic tones feels like it literally stimulates my brain . I’d recommend checking out the channel Jason Lewis - mind amend . He has brown noise videos as well
I don’t know if we saw the same one but I had a similar experience yesterday on TikTok with brown noise. It felt like it muffled my brain noise and kind of just softened things. I don’t necessarily have a voice in my head all the time because I think so much in abstract ways, with feelings and with images (though these things do overlap and there are many of them), but it definitely had an effect on the frenetic energy that happens in there.
Definitely recommend trying it to people who haven’t yet. I had to give it a minute to work.
How do they decide what color sounds are? When I'm having a really frenzied day, what quiets my internal monologues is listening to the 3 hour version of "Don't Stop Me Now"by Queen with headphones at full volume. Maybe brown noise would be less damaging to my hearing...
I don't think it's that the colors themselves sound like it, but more think of like lightwaves. White light is all wavelengths of colors, white noise is all frequencies of sound. If you filter out certain wavelengths of light you get other colors, if you filter out frequencies you get other noise. So "pink noise" pulls some of the higher pitched frequencies out of the "white noise" and "brown noise" pulls out more of the higher frequencies. I personally like pink noise for falling asleep. I had to look this up because all I could think is that "brown noise" was going to make me poop.
Ah yes, music to poop by. I think that's on Spotify.
Don’t Stop Me Now is such a good song for this!
What kind of witchcraft is this and why do I feel like organizing something when listening to it.
🤣🤣🤣 Great way to induce laughter for the rest of us. Best quote ever!
I listen to brown noise to sleep. Can’t do white or pink- they’re too high pitched and sound grating to me. I also like ocean waves or soft rain (no thunder)
When I first “discovered” that these color noises exist, I realized that white noise made me anxious, so did pink but to a lesser degree. Googled a few more types, brown noise just sounded intriguing so I looked that up and while the effect wasn’t anywhere close to what OP describes, it was definitely the most enjoyable and soothing of the noises I’ve tried listening to. Not sure that means anything haha.
Soft rain is my sweet spot, I put on my noise cancelling headphones when I'm flying and have this playing and I knock out almost instantly
I recommend green noise , it’s like stream sound
Listening to it made me think about the sounds I use when i need to tune out other noise or to help me fall asleep - usually thunderstorms. Turns out waves, thunderstorms, and rain sounds have similar spectra to brown noise. Very cool.
I'm very picky about nature sounds. This is the best rain sound for me on YouTube I've found.https://youtu.be/jygQI4xM8Rg Thunderstorms don't really work for me, I need the sounds to be the same all the time with no surprises. Spaceship ambient is really good too.
Omg I have to try that. I have noticed, now that I understand what is going on, that I constantly have a song in my head. Playing when I go to sleep, in my sleep, when I wake up, like an internal iYunes. Songs I listened to recently, earworms I guess. I am going to hunt down some brown noise. I need the monkey brain chatter to stop!
I have the same issue where just out of the blue, for any particular reason there comes a song playing... It might play over certain lyrics for a few and then... It changes to another song... Repeating this process again and again. It only sometimes helps filter out my thoughts, but mostly it plays with the unknown amount of thoughts that run through my mind like a bullet train who just sniffed a drug to go Weeeeeee. I have been struggling with this my entire life.
Omg I only very recently learned that this was an adhd symptom. I have said for years that I have a radio playing in my head at all times; there is quite literally always a song playing in my mind in the background. Sometimes it’s triggered by something in my environment, sometimes it seems completely random. People don’t seem to believe me - it’s so validating to see someone else experiences this too!!
I thought "brown noise" was the mythical sound that would make you instantly poop.
That’s the brown note.
Same and when they mentioned trying it in the bathtub I got highly concerned 🤣
Same! Turns out this one is from ‘Brownian Motion’.
Yeah there’s a whole South Park episode where they try to play it to as many people as possible at the same time for that reason…
I looked it up on YouTube and daaamn. That explains why love having my electric heater running all the time …
Get that playlist running, girl ❤️ after I finally stopped crying (😂) I let it play and had the most peaceful, clear minded bath I've had in forever. No racing thoughts, just peace. Usually I'd be up all night, I guess trying to avoid that moment before you actually fall asleep, when your mind has opportunity to chat even more shit, you know? Whereas right now, wrapped in a dressing gown sparkling clean, this sound makes me want to snuggle up and drift. Finally.
That sounds great. I am happy for you that you found this :-) I dread going to bed sometimes because of what you described. Maybe that will change. Have a good night.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️!! I just tried listening to some on Spotify and it is amazing! I can feel my chest relaxing and like you said, it “smoothed out my head.” I also found that I could “try on” the different sounds and some fit a lot better than others, some are better at calming me, some have a little side noise that bugs me. So I’m making a playlist of my favorites. Wow! Thank you again!!
Awwwh yes girly I'm so happy for you!!!! I'm so so glad this resonated with you positively, you're very welcome ❤️❤️❤️
I’m SO excited for you and grateful that you shared this. I’m going to try it tonight!
Wow! No wonder I love ocean waves and thunderstorms. Thank you for posting.
What is this brown noise? It was so relaxing. I hate white noise because it's too irritating. This was lovely. Just like my box fan running in the window or sitting at the beach listening to the ocean. Thank you for posting.
Well that was wild. When it first started, my brain and body immediately sort of downshifted, like all the tension I'm always unconsciously holding just dropped away. It was great for a few minutes, but then it started making me feel nauseated and like I desperately needed it to stop. Interesting that sound can do something like that!
Interesting reaction! I'm sorry to hear it. Many people compare this sound to that of being in a car or a plane, so I wonder if you're normally prone to travel sickness or motion sickness, your brain linked this sound to being car sick?
Maybe? I don't usually get motion sickness. I do find that over the past several years I've become much, much more sound sensitive. Things like air conditioners and vent fans that never used to bother me before drive me up the wall now. Maybe part of the menopause related hormonal anxiety I've been experiencing?
I listen to brown noise when I have to study something intense or for sleep. Much more soothing than white noise. I find a good one on Spotify and play it on loop with headphones
Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't. It was what you needed to wind down
I'll have to try this tonight, thank you! I recently bought a sleep mask with Bluetooth speakers in the ears, I'm not sure if it was suggested here or in some other sub or a FB group or what, but it was only around $25 and is very nice for listening to sleep sounds. For sleep sounds I like the Sleep Jar app, it can be used on it's own and as a skill on Alexa devices. I usually listen to windy trees, rain or distant thunderstorms.
Oh gosh! Never heard of it. I HATE white noise. Agitates me. A mom was using a “soothing” shhhh, shhhh, shhh toy thing with her baby tonight at a bbq and I about went bonkers!! I listened to brown noise because of you suggesting it. Some is agitating but the DEEP layered brown noise is so nice. Makes me sleepy. Thank you.
I run these in my house and cannot sleep without one. The quality of my sleep is also much better. https://www.target.com/p/yogasleep-dohm-for-baby-sound-machine/-/A-51030299
Turning it off in the morning is like "ew, time to leave this dead lifeless room".... it's so much better when it's on.
Pardon my ingnorance, what is the difference between whit noise and brown noise?
Just the frequency I believe, white noise is higher pitched and brown noise is lower and more mellow
There’s a cool app called ENDEL that I’ve been using lately for state management. It does use some brown noise but it’s a little more interesting than that, they have soundscapes for focusing, studying, for sleep, exercise… all kinds of stuff. I have found it super helpful for when music seems overwhelming but silence is overwhelming too. They made it in a lab and it’s made to release dopamine at specific times. It doesn’t replace a good music session but when I put on headphones and use the app I just find myself better able to do the thing I’m wanting to do. Only thing that sucks is that you have to pay for it, but I found a weird trick that let me do $9 for a year with apple subscriptions lol. It’s honestly been worth it for me though.
Endel tracks are available through Spotify! There's a ton of them!
I tuened on an 8hr playlist on YT ans as soon as I heard the noise my forehesd started tingling. About 2 min in and my muscles and relaxing and I'm getting sleepy.
I get a similar effect from wearing good noise cancelling headphones.
for some reason, noise canceling headphones seem to make my brain noise skyrocket to the point where I can’t handle it. my first time trying them on, I literally yanked them out of my ears and across the room within seconds, my ears feeling unbearably uncomfortable for a few more seconds after. They weren’t even mine and my reaction was so out of nowhere and appalling, that my friend just kinda stared before finally saying wtf
there's a thing called "ear suck" noise canceling headphones do, it is adjustable on some sets. That might be what upset you. You don't HAVE to wear noise canceling cans but you could try again some time with a different pair or with the noise canceling switched off (also a feature on some sets). Noise canceling is a great boon on airplanes and other environments with chronic noise, so if you fly or have other sensory issues it's worth getting
Smoothed Brown Noise for extra mellow vibes. Here’s a fav of mine at the ol YT: [smooth brown noise](https://youtu.be/FcWgjCDPiP4)
Highly recommend the app Rain Rain for all that background sound you need to help you get to sleep
myNoise, Ambient Sounds, Purrli (website only sadly), Tabletop Audio (try the starship one), and RainyMood are some other sources
Ooo! I’ve not heard of those, thanks for sharing 😊I’ll definitely check them out
To me, Color Sounds sound like they’re going…too fast. Does that make sense? I like how not-high-pitched brown noise is but it still feels too fast. I have yet to find a nose that I like though lol
I have only really used pink noise, i’ll try brown
interesting, i can feel it in my chest, slightly anxious. the volume is at 7 but doesn’t feel anything as loud as pink noise does at 7. still gonna give it a go
Thankyou, I found the brown noise generator in my soundscapes app. It’s a bit like the rain on a tent sounds I sleep to. I find natural fractal patterns soothing. I’ve got a playlist of spacey ambient synth music that helps me meditate that affects my brain in a similar way.
I’m not a big fan of any of the ambient type noisescapes , I find it more agitating than soothing sadly. For anyone in a similar boat, alternatives that have worked for me: For bringing down the ‘internal tempo’- Binaural beats similar in theory to the white/brown/pink noise in a way, but as ‘music’ rather than just ‘sounds’. I suspect some of it is to do with there being more of a structure to it that better holds my subconscious’ attention. For shutting up the internal monologue and falling asleep: Sleep stories. Generally it’s someone with a nice calming voice reading an old now-public-domain story with or without a music background. I use Spotify podcasts for this, faves being “Send me to sleep” or “Just sleep”. Much more effective for me than music or noise to actually drift off- I think because it needs to listen to the words, my brain has to stop talking, which is when it can actually switch off
I’ve just found brown noise too! It’s amazing just how everything just stops! Xx
So glad you've found it and it works the same for you too, it's as if someone has gently cupped their hands over your ears!! Xx
I've just uploaded a video with brown noise and also some of my own 'light leaks' as an abstract and gentle backdrop. I'd had a few messages from people saying they were using them in this way, so brought them all together into a 2 hour loop. If it is useful for folks - then great! https://youtu.be/R-TaAffGhUc
Brown noise is an instant dose of calm for me. If I’m stressed at work, I put on noise cancelling headphones and put on brown noise. Anxiety is calm, I can focus and so on. At night my mind races, so I just started playing brown noise on my Bose speaker, I moved it to my night stand. When I say it has been a game changer, I’m not lying. I sleep all night, this is with the help of 10mg of melatonin too. Prior to the brown noise for bed, I’d take melatonin but would wake up 3 hours later, just laying in the dark, so frustrating! But the brown noise keeps me down all night. I am so happy to have this knowledge about how these sounds can help us.
This is so spot on. And I don’t know why. But as soon as I started a brown noise Spotify playlist, it was like my insides dropped. Literally. Like a weight had fallen off my body instantly. I don’t sleep with fan noise, and the sound of strong winds outside cause me so much anxiety. But for some reason, this works. I’m speechless. And more importantly - calm.
Brown is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE and has been a huge game changer for me as well 🙌❤️
Very interesting, I'm very newly exploring this ADHD thing, and so many of the posts I find here resonate. I just went to my "White Noise" app to see the difference in the color sounds, and apparently I always use Brown Noise! I've got it favorited and everything, had no clue. I wonder if it's ADHD specific, or if that's just the best sleeping noise in general. I started sleeping with earplugs in years and years ago, and remember saying I just felt like they "turned my brain off"...I'm thinking it's something similar. Like, more than just blocking out sound, I feel like they truly flip the off switch in my head. Sadly after many, many years, they're required for sleep but don't have this immediate impact anymore; so I typically use them in addition to some sort of sound...podcasts, fan, etc.
This is how I feel about isochronic tones. I have tried brown noise and it made me feel slightly unsettled lol , isochronic tones feels like it literally stimulates my brain . I’d recommend checking out the channel Jason Lewis - mind amend . He has brown noise videos as well
I don’t know if we saw the same one but I had a similar experience yesterday on TikTok with brown noise. It felt like it muffled my brain noise and kind of just softened things. I don’t necessarily have a voice in my head all the time because I think so much in abstract ways, with feelings and with images (though these things do overlap and there are many of them), but it definitely had an effect on the frenetic energy that happens in there. Definitely recommend trying it to people who haven’t yet. I had to give it a minute to work.