Can't Sleep, Try Noise

I love Dreamland. It's my third favorite place to be.

Hey folks,

Do you like sleep? I do. I Love it. I love Dreamland. It's my third favorite place to be. Problem is? I get little of it. In this world we live, we live a 24/7 life and lifestyle. Long gone are the days of 9-5 five days a week, with the rest of the time being yours to do with as you will.

Today, we work, live, and even play, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We work hard, we play hard, and in between, we attempt to recharge. I am as guilty of this as anyone. I usually TRY to get to sleep by 10 pm, up at 4am. Lately, it been more like 3am. I just wake up. Having Sleep Apnea doesn't help the situation. I'm not joking, "sleeping in for me is like 6am.

I work. I work on this Blog, scanning articles, doing research, posting Posts. I work on TAG. I try to work out and stay fit. Then there is that time I try to spend with my Wife and Boys. I have been known to push myself so hard that I will sit to watch a show, and be out in like five minutes in my chair. Not kidding.

Now for some of you that may be reading this, you have no idea what the Blue Law is. You have no idea what I mean when I say 9-5 five days a week. Or even working 20 years for a company and retiring with a gold watch. I'm not even that old. Just turned 43.

But along with the lives you younger folks have seen, Mom and Dad, if you are lucky enough to have both, working all the time. All hours. The natural youthful desire to stay up for fear of missing something, and of course, social media, you young people out there sleep even less.

So whenever I see something like this, it gets my attention. I sleep with a fan. Box fan. Have as long as I remember. Not even sure if I could sleep without it. I have found myself in Wal-Mart at 2 am buying one, when mine bit the dust. Well, perhaps there is something to that. According to Health.com -How Certain Sounds Help Us Sleep

Is it time to toss the late-night texting and Tweeting habits? According to a nationwide survey by the National Sleep Foundation in 2011, Generation Y has more difficulty falling asleep than any other population. In fact, people of all ages are having some problems in the bedroom: Over 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems like insomnia.

But sleep is a fundamental part of a healthy lifestyle, since it gives our bodies some R&R, keeps our brains sharp, and can even improve memory. There’s no one magical formula to catching those Zzs, but research suggests certain sounds can help us drift off to dreamland. From white noise to the sounds of the Amazon, find out which noises may help us sleep better—and which ones will only leave us with bags under our eyes.

I'll tell ya this. More than not, if I do fall asleep in front of the TV, or while listening to the Radio, it seems to get incorporated into my dreams. I do not know if it helps me to sleep, but it does make for some interesting dreams.

Please don’t stop the music – The need-to-know

During sleep, we still perceive sounds and process them in a part of the brain called the auditory cortex. But there’s no need to whisper while gossiping about a sleeping pal—people are much less sensitive to their environment when they’re snoozing than when they’re awake. Our sensitivity to noise varies a lot based on the kinds of brain waves we produce while sleeping. Some people wake up if a feather drops; others can sleep through a fire alarm.

The sounds we notice while sleeping or falling asleep can either be alarming or relaxing, says Orfeu Buxton, a neuroscientist at the Sleep Division at Harvard Medical School. Alarming sounds can disrupt the process of falling asleep; relaxing sounds, on the other hand, can help us fall asleep more quickly and sleep more deeply. But it’s not always easy to know whether those Friends reruns on low volume will be soothing or disruptive.

Sleep on it – Your action plan

Whether a sound is relaxing or disruptive depends a lot on the individual. Sometimes we find sounds pleasant because of positive emotional associations, so the sound of man’s best friend barking can be relaxing for a dog person.

But there are lots of sounds out there, and it can take some time to figure out which ones work for you. Neuroscientist Hawley Montgomery-Downs of West Virginia University recommends we try specific sounds for at least a few nights to find out if it’s really helping us get a better night’s rest. Try some of the sounds below for a solid chunk of snooze time. 

Make some (white) noise. White noise combines all noise frequencies and can mask other sounds, and it sometimes helps treat insomnia. But be wary of white noise apps that can cause auditory nerve damage, Montgomery-Downs warns, especially for those who use headphones or have sensitive hearing. Instead she recommends using a white noise machine, similar to a fan stand, or sites like simplynoise.com. 

Embrace nature. Ocean waves, rainforest animals, thunderstorms, and even the Chinese giant salamander can all be pleasant sounds to fall asleep to. Natural noises are less likely to annoy us than some other sounds because they usually include fluctuations in amplitude and frequency. But those using rain and ocean sounds should make sure there’s a toilet nearby, since Buxton warns that the sound of water can trigger the need to use the bathroom. 

Play that funky music. When a head full of worries is keeping us awake, music can help us relax a little. Avoid music with lyrics that may keep the mind active, and instead try classical, folk, or slow-paced contemporary styles. But if using the radio or TV for music, use a timer, since the noise may disrupt sleep as the night progresses, whether we realize it or not. 

Get personal. Sometimes there’s nothing quite as relaxing as another human voice. Try some of the fancy new apps out there like pzizz, which lulls listeners to sleep with soothing voices, or record a close friend reciting the instructions in a muscle relaxation demo that can guide us into sleep. 

Soak up the silence. Some people find no noise is good noise, since it doesn’t have any associations with stress or negative emotions, so give silence a shot.

OK. First, I guess that is what I use. White Noise. A Fan. I have slept with music and people talking on the TV. I have tried the nature thing. That doesn't work for me. It may for you, but I find it more distracting than anything else.

I don't know about the second to last either. Sounds a bit like hypnosis to me. But again, if it works for you, cool. Point is, we do all need to get more sleep. Anything that can help you is worth a try.
Peter