If you are one of those people who have trouble sleeping, the smallest of sounds may prevent you from falling into a deep, restful slumber.

It may be the sound of a car door shutting outside, the hoot of an owl, or worries on your mind that are keeping you awake. But a recent study by Northwestern University has revealed a possible trick that can silence any aggravating noises and induce a deeper and easier sleep. Apparently, we should be listening to pink noise.

What is pink noise?

This is a type of gentle sound stimulation, such as the sounds of a waterfall, heartbeats or traffic flow. When synchronised to your brain wave rhythm, pink noise can trick your brain into falling into a deep sleep and help it stay there.

According to Live Science, white noise and pink noise are comparable in the sense that they are colours of noise and contain all the frequencies that are audible to humans. But 'the lower frequencies in pink noise are louder and have more power than the higher frequencies. However, most people perceive the sound of pink noise as being even, or flat, because it has equal power per octave.'

It can therefore mask low-frequency background sound and allows a deep, slow-wave sleep, which is necessary for memory and hormone regulation.

Colorfulness, Purple, Violet, Magenta, Pink, Line, Lavender, Electricity, Parallel, Tints and shades, pinterest

'This is an innovative, simple and safe non-medication approach that may help improve brain health,' Phyllis Zee, professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Metro. 'This is a potential tool for enhancing memory in older populations and attenuating normal age-related memory decline.'

The study analysed 13 adults, over the age of 60, for two nights in a sleep lab. On each of the two nights, the participants carried out a memory test at night and then went to sleep wearing headphones and an electrode cap. Once they woke in the morning, they took the memory test again.

Pink noise was only played on one of the nights, while on the other night, no noise was played at all. The results showed that when the sleepers listened to pink noise, they performed three times better on the memory test than after the night with no noise.

So, if you are not lucky enough to live by a peaceful waterfall, then check out some pink noise sounds on YouTube and let it drift you into a long, deep sleep:

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From: Country Living UK
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Katie Avis-Riordan
I'm Web Writer at Country Living and House Beautiful