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I tried machines to block out the static – and took advice from a neuroscientist on choosing the right sleep aid for you or your little one
Kirsty is a freelance contributor based in Birmingham who specialises in lifestyle and culture. Her writing for the Telegraph focuses on finding great value, functional products that make life easier for busy people on a budget.
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When sirens, traffic and loud neighbours disrupt your bedtime peace, the best white noise machines can block out the racket with a steady sound of their own. From the fuzz of a de-tuned radio to the replicated drone of an industrial fan, these gadgets emit white noise sounds to help you drift off to dreamland.
“White noise contains all frequencies of sound at the same volume, like static,” explains Dr Lindsay Browning, a chartered psychologist and neuroscientist at Trouble Sleeping and author of Navigating Sleeplessness with a doctorate in insomnia from the University of Oxford. “It can be quite unpleasant to listen to, so there are other options including green, brown and pink noise that have quieter high frequencies.”
You can read more about the different types of white noise, along with expert advice from Dr Browning, in the FAQ section below. First, here’s a quick look at my top five:
Noise machines vary from little portable powerhouses that throw out a handful of fan sounds to complex and expensive wired “companions” that connect to your phone and train you in sleep-related habits, like meditation and mindfulness. As a result, they range greatly in price too. Some are aimed specifically at calming children, with long battery life and baby-proof clips for cots. Others are good for adults, thanks to more sophisticated designs and diverse audio options. Ultimately, you need to pick one which suits your specific circumstances.
For those with snoring partners, busy houses, noisy neighbours or who are disturbed by traffic and street commotion, white noise machines can work brilliantly to help you get to sleep. However, Dr Browning says it’s important to address why you’re struggling to sleep before you commit to buying a machine. She says, “I also help people with insomnia. For someone who can’t sleep because of stress, anxiety a busy brain or an overactive mind, a white noise machine is not at the top of the list of things I’d recommend.”
I was looking out for machines that are as robust in the hands of a curious toddler as they are in the backpack of a grown woman that intends on taking it to muddy music festival campsites. To rate each white noise machine, I evaluated the quality and diversity of the sounds, portability, battery life and extra features, such as calming light effects.
Personally, as someone with tinnitus, I was looking for something to block out the static that’s constantly buzzing in my head. I also wanted to seek out a good present to take along to my friend’s baby shower that might give her the best gift a new mother could get; a bit of comfort and the hope of nighttime respite. Below is what I found, starting with my favourite.
You can visit our Who We Are page to learn more about Telegraph Recommended’s testing processes.
Best Buy White Noise Machine
The Momcozy is subtle when it’s switched off and vibrant and beautiful when illuminated; it’s a joyful little thing. This soft-touch gizmo connects to your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you can adjust it from your phone if you like. I did, because I wanted to schedule gentle wake-ups, but you’re not tied in.
Personalising your routine is straightforward. I love snuggling down to blue-hued rainfall; it takes my mind off the tinnitus ringing in my ears. There are three fan noises: floor, wall and regular. They’re not notably different from each other, but I appreciate the versatility.
You can lock the controls from your phone, in case little hands make a move to turn it from tranquil waves lapping at the beach to alarmingly loud, realistic thunderstorms. It offers ‘womb’ audio and shushing for babies, which you can control without stepping into the nursery. There are pink noise and brown noise options and a sound called ‘meditation’ that could be a Joji hit, sans vocals. Result.
Factor in a headphone function, a touch-sensitive top for tapping on and off and the fact it lasts a good couple of nights before running out of juice and you’ve got a brilliant all-rounder.
Best Value White Noise Machine
This thing is like one of those cars that’s really reliable and yet isn’t particularly stylish. The chunky grey interface is chock full of buttons to give you the same kind of control as you get from an app, but it’s having to do all of the hard work because no such app exists for it.
It’s a bit cluttered but when you’ve got your eyes closed, or you’re just enjoying the pretty, colourful glow, who cares? There’s even a little tactile dot on the off switch.
It’s made of slightly hollow, cheaper-feeling plastic that would make me apprehensive about letting a little one get hold of it and there’s no child lock either so it’s more suited to a shelf. Still, it does what it promises, providing good quality white noise as well as a range of other lovely and calming sounds. I always return to the bonfire sound and it remembers my preference.
Best Portable White Noise Machine
This is exactly what I wanted from a small, affordable white noise machine. I feel happy just having this machine by my bed, lit up in whatever colour matches my mood. It feels like a perfect option for kids too, thanks to the added child lock. It’s sturdy, the buttons illuminate and, while there are loads of them, they’re in keeping with the overall design.
The childproof clip meant I could attach it to my backpack to take it with me on the go. It clips onto the back seat of my car, too, when I’ve got little friends strapped in back, and the breadth of sound options is really impressive.
Charming little lullabies, my now favourite crackling fire and the rumble of a chugging train send me off to nod. There is a timer function to knock it off in 30, 60 or 90 minutes, but I haven’t heard it go off yet.
Best White Noise Machine for Babies
It’s not the cheapest gadget, but with a 10-hour battery life on a full charge, a child lock, a design that looks like it belongs on In The Night Garden and lovely lullabies to match, the Dreamegg is a really nice piece of kit.
At first fiddle, I considered marking it down for lack of colourful lights. But for a soft, simple glow by which to share a night feed, you don’t need the full disco effect.
It’s slow to skip through the sounds but it has memory so, once you find your sweet spot, you don’t need to mess around. It comes in a muted grey, orange or lilac, but the former (shown above) is more reminiscent of In The Night Garden’s Makka Pakka, so I like that best for babies.
Best White Noise Machine for Timed Sleep
The Groov-e Serenity sound is a simple white noise machine, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get the job done. One of the best things about it is its ease of use. All the settings and buttons are clearly displayed on the machine's face, though some are a bit fiddly to use. There are six white noises to choose from “rain”, “forest”, “ocean” (my favourite), “relax”, “calm” and “white noise”. These are a little lacking compared to other options we’ve tested, but soothing all the same.
It comes with a built-in LED light which is handy when you’re trying to change the settings in the dark. Meanwhile, a “Breathe” mode sees the light brighten and dim periodically. It’s relaxing to nod off to, but if you like sleeping in complete darkness, you might need to pair an eye mask with this machine.
The timer function is what really helps this white noise machine stand out. The default setting has the machine play noise until you turn it off, but you can set a 15, 30 or 60-minute timer as well. If you are like me and struggle to fall asleep quickly, this means the machine will play until you fall asleep, but not through the whole night.
This is a good option if you are looking for something portable. It’s small, so it won’t take up much space on your bedside table and it can easily be charged with a standard USB wire.
Best White Noise Machine for Adults
If Darth Vader was to choose a white noise machine, this chunky unit would be it. This hefty machine wouldn’t look out of place next to a teenager’s gaming rig or riding on the back of one of the house baddies on Robot Wars.
It throws out incredible volume through a high fidelity speaker, which feels unnecessarily powerful for my room but would be brilliant in an office full of busy brains that would rather hear a calm ocean than the honking and sirens of the street.
I popped my headphones into the standard 3.5mm connector to work. By night, it disappeared into the darkness as there are no lights on it at all. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to differentiate between 10 types of fan, but I appreciate the choice.
Best Budget White Noise Machine
I thought perhaps I was doing something wrong when I switched on the “night light” on the Hushh. It’s really just a small LED. What’s more, with only three soothing sounds, it was a disappointment compared to the likes of Zello and Lectro.
However, I had to remind myself that this is primarily designed for babies. It doesn’t pretend to be all-singing or all-dancing, just a calming presence to place in their cot or pram to remind them of the womb. I came to respect its simplicity after taking it on a long journey. It’s lightweight and looks grown-up. Hanging from my bag, it looks just like a portable speaker and not like a sleep aid.
It’s small and light for packing away, really blasts out the sound for noisy journeys and busy cities. I just wish it lasted more than six hours on a single charge.
Best White Noise AI
One of the Alexa’s hidden talents is its ability to play ten hours of undisturbed white noise in one go without you having to sign up to anything. You can ask it to set a timer to turn off too. In the Alexa Skill store, you’ll find a raft of other options from Sleep Sounds, including forest birds, wind chimes, city rain and underwater sounds.
Giving this a try made me realise something else about Alexa that I didn’t know. When you whisper to it in the night, it’ll reply in a whisper. It also gives you a brief night light on request.
You can use any of Amazon’s Echo and Alexa devices, but the Echo Dot is my favourite, especially in this calming Deep Sea Blue. It has the clearest audio of any and I love that you can create routines. I set the white noise to turn on with my nighttime routine.
Best Soothing Sound Machine for Kids
Known for crafting some of the finest video game consoles ever made, you may wonder what business Nintendo has in getting into sleep technology. The truth is, it has been shuffling around the wellness industry for decades from Wii Fit to Ring Fit Adventure. And so we have Alarmo.
Basically an alarm clock crossed with a sleep sounds machine. Once you set a bedtime, it’ll scan your bed for movement up to half an hour. If you’re tossing and turning, it’ll offer comforting white noises and music based on Nintendo game series including Super Mario and The Legend Of Zelda. Once you stop moving, the sound turns off automatically.
In the morning, your alarm will go off at the designated time, waking you with gentle video-game inspired sound effects. You don’t have to press any buttons to turn it off, just get out of bed and the sensors detect you and stop the alarm. Stay in bed and it’ll gradually get louder and more annoying.
For lazy kids, it’s a fun way to wake up, and the soothing white noise-inspired “sleepy sounds” are a helpful boon in the evening. Parents may also find the sleep-tracking abilities of Alarmo useful – if your little one is consistently grouchy, perhaps this data will provide the impetus to change their bedtime habits.
On the downside, £90 for what is essentially a fancy alarm clock feels expensive and the setup is fiddly. The constant requirement of an internet connection is a little bothersome too.
To listen to on your phone, no machine required
Best White Noise App
Spotify offers countless playlists and hours-long tracks of white noise, green, pink and brown as well as loads of lullabies, variants of train, fire crackles and more.
It also has an option to time out after a set time and I like that I can play it through my smart speaker downstairs. My phone has pretty decent speakers but this is more one for those who sleep in earphones. Just consider, if you do that, volume and hygiene.
Spotify offers a free subsciption with adverts, or Spotify Premium for £12.99 a month.
Best White Noise App with Stories
I used the Calm app for a year after enjoying a free trial and I really enjoyed it, particularly for its sleep stories. I found that once I found my favourite readers, however, I couldn’t put up with anyone else.
I sought out Alan Sklar nightly for his calming tones that now I’m sure fall somewhere on the “brown noise” level. That said, it’s more for meditation and calming (hence the name) than simply pumping out white noise so you might find, if you just want a digital fan, that much of it is surplus to requirements.
Calm has a yearly subscription fee of £49.99.
Best White Noise App for Choice
There are nine colours of noise available on Headspace and I’m still not sure which of them is best for me. My tired brain can’t fathom the maundering explanations, with red described as being “rich, like a good meal” and blue being “refreshing, like a glass of sparkling water”.
I found orange noise, a Headspace original, to be the least abrasive of them but still prefer a forest soundscape. My favourite function here is the Nighttime SOS, where a peaceful little cloud illustration comes to the rescue after a nightmare. Andy’s voice doesn’t soothe me, so I switched teachers to get back on track after bad dreams.
Headspace has a free 14-day trial, after which a yearly subscription costs £49.99.
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