White Noise Benefit Calculator

1. Enter the noise you want to cover. Use a preset or your own reading in dB.
2. Enter the machine level and distances. Give the level a sound meter showed, where it was measured, and how far the machine will sit from the sleeper head.
3. Choose who it is for and the hours. Infants get a lower limit than adults.

White noise is a steady hiss that spreads its energy across the pitches we hear; pink and brown noise sound lower and deeper. Masking means using a steady sound to make a sudden one, such as a car door or a partner snoring, less noticeable.

A masking sound is one more noise in the bedroom, so loudness is the whole trade-off: loud enough to cover the disturbance, quiet enough not to harm hearing. This calculator puts numbers on that trade-off. It does not promise better sleep, because the research does not. If the disturbance is snoring, see snoring causes and solutions.

1. Distance: doubling the distance lowers the level by about 6 dB in open space.
2. Gap: a machine at 50 dB over a 45 dB disturbance gives +5 dB.
3. Limits: 85 dB or more is too loud for anyone; above 50 dB is too loud for an infant and a caution for an adult.
4. Verdict: within the limit and at least as loud as the noise is good; within the limit but quieter is ok, with advice.

Walls and furniture reflect sound, so in a real bedroom the level falls less than this predicts. Treat estimates at long distances as optimistic.

The machine measures 50 dB at 30 cm. An adult hears a partner snoring at about 45 dB.

Distance cut the adult level by about 10.5 dB. For the infant, 50 dB is right at the limit, so there is no room to turn it up.

The best summary is a systematic review of 38 studies on continuous white noise and similar broadband noise (Riedy et al., 2020). The studies differed in the noise used, how sleep was measured and how well people stuck to it, and results ranged from noise improving sleep to noise disrupting it.

A masking machine is a reasonable experiment for a noisy bedroom, not a proven treatment. If you wake more often with it on, turn it off.

In the 2014 study every one of 14 infant machines measured above 50 dBA at 30 cm on maximum, and three exceeded 85 dBA. Your room may differ, so measure it with a sound level meter at the pillow.

Both work, and the infant studies say use both. The 2021 study found no device above 85 dBA at 30 or 100 cm even on maximum, but 9 of 14 exceeded it at 10 cm. It advises avoiding maximum volume and keeping devices at least 30 cm from the child.

Type Of Disturbance

A steady hum is easy to cover; sudden sounds such as a barking dog are not.

Speaker Or Headphones

A small speaker away from the bed spreads sound through the room. Headphones and earbuds put it right at the ear, where level errors matter most.

Fixing The Source

Where a noise is a habit you can change, treating it beats masking it. Basic habits are in sleep hygiene 101.

• People in noisy homes near traffic or shared walls who use or want to try a sound machine.
• Partners of snorers. If snoring is loud with pauses in breathing, see the sleep calculator for sleep apnea and speak to a doctor.
• Parents of babies checking the level at the cot. Age-based patterns are in the baby sleep schedule by age.

Setting The Volume By Feel

A dial position says little about dB. Machines differ a great deal, so measure.

Running At Maximum All Night

Maximum is not a recommended setting for infants or adults.

Turning It Up To Cover Everything

If matching the noise would break the limit, the machine cannot safely do the job. Reduce the noise instead.

Treating It As A Sleep Treatment

It is a masking tool. A steadier schedule from the sleep calculator or a doctor helps more with ongoing trouble sleeping.

The evidence is weak. A systematic review of 38 studies rated the quality of evidence that continuous noise improves sleep as very low, with results from helpful to disruptive.

As quiet as will still cover the noise you want to hide, and under 85 dB at the head, or at or below 50 dB for an infant.

Only at low levels and from a distance. In a Pediatrics study all 14 infant machines exceeded 50 dBA at 30 cm on maximum, and three exceeded 85 dBA.

At least 30 cm, and farther is better. A 2021 study found no device above 85 dBA at 30 or 100 cm, but 9 of 14 exceeded it at 10 cm.

It may if it is at least as loud as the snoring. Snoring exceeded 45 dB(A) in 66 percent of habitual snorers in one study. Loud snoring with pauses in breathing needs a doctor.

The WHO guideline is under 30 dB(A) in bedrooms at night for good sleep quality. Most sound machines produce more than that.

They are a poor fit. They put sound at the ear for hours, so a small level error matters more. A small speaker across the room is easier to keep low.

Raise the level a little if the verdict allows it, or reduce the noise at its source. If matching the noise would break the limit, the machine cannot safely do the job.

• Riedy et al. Noise as a sleep aid: A systematic review (Sleep Medicine Reviews, 2020; PMID 33007706) (38 studies; evidence quality very low; may affect sleep and hearing)
• Hugh et al. Infant sleep machines and hazardous sound pressure levels (Pediatrics, 2014; PMID 24590753), Europe PMC record (14 machines; all above 50 dBA at 30 cm; three above 85 dBA)
• Hong et al. Hazardous sound outputs of white noise devices intended for infants (Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol, 2021; PMID 33992973) (NIOSH 85 dBA threshold; 9 of 14 devices above it at 10 cm; none at 30 or 100 cm; keep 30 cm or more away)
• WHO Europe: Noise (bedroom guideline 30 dB(A); night noise 40 dB(A) outdoors; 55 dB(A) exposure figure)
• Snoring: a source of noise pollution and sleep apnea predictor (Sleep, 2020) (snoring above 45 dB(A) in 66 percent of 162 snorers)