If you are in search of a good night’s sleep, keep reading. For many of us, our daily activities interfere with settling down at night. Prioritizing and building solid sleep habits is important to our overall well-being. Don’t know where to start? Well, the answer could be as close as your smartphone. White noise apps produce sounds to lull you into a solid slumber. With regular use, the best white noise apps can have you sleeping soundly and feeling refreshed.
After all, it’s hard to wake up feeling good if you are a restless sleeper. A survey of 2,000 Americans finds that 22 percent switch up their sleeping position every single night. While (64%) identified themselves as restless sleepers, citing anxiety (26%) and snoring partners (20%) as the biggest issues. Only (10%) say they feel refreshed every time they wake up.
Lack of sleep can put you at physical risk too. Another study reveals getting too little sleep at night could nearly double the risk of clogged leg arteries. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden say sleeping less than five hours is linked to a 74 percent jump in risk of developing peripheral artery disease (PAD), compared with seven to eight hours. The disease causes the arteries in the legs to clog, restricting blood flow and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
If you’re ready to improve your sleep, why not give white noise apps a try? Here at StudyFinds, we also enjoy sleeping and narrowed down the choices for you. This is our list of the top five best white noise apps from ten expert websites to help soothe you to sleep. As always, we’d like to see your own recommendations in the comments below!
The List: Best White Noise Apps, According to Reviews
1. White Noise Generator
This white noise app for Android users is a hit with reviewers. ZDNET highlights its variety of sounds, “like rain on your window, cars, thunder, wind, leaves, night, and the ever-reliable fan. You also can choose places like the forest, a creek, the ocean, a train, or a cafe.”
“There are several ambiances to choose from, and each category has its own subcategories. Even better, you can simultaneously play several sounds at once, creating your own atmosphere and mix. Once you create one you particularly like, you can mark it as a favorite for easy replay,” notes Too Many Adapters. It calls White Noise Generator the ‘Best White Noise App for Android’.
“With an Android device, you can use this app easily anywhere, and it is made specifically to provide users with white noise only. Hence, it doesn’t get weighed down by additional content of any kind. This is a one-stop app for white noise,” adds Geekflare.
2. Calm
Calm is a well-known subscription-based app that keeps relaxation as its main goal. iGeeksBlog points out, “specialized soundscapes for sleep include babbling brooks, heavy rain, and ocean waves. You can use the app on iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. But the free version has very limited usage, and the premium is a bit expensive as a white noise app for iOS.”
“Calm is possibly the best sleep and meditation app on the list. This is a top-rated app for iPhone that has been downloaded millions of times. You can use this app to discover sleep stories, sleep sounds, meditation music, and more. The app also provides you with guided meditations,” adds Lowkey Tech.
Calm is available for Android, iOS, as well as desktop users. “The app offers a seven-day free trial, so users can decide if it suits them before purchasing a more extended subscription,” notes Screen Rant.
3. BetterSleep
What used to be known as Relax Melodies, BetterSleep is an affordable app that gets rave reviews. “BetterSleep has a dark interface that doesn’t jolt you awake when using the app in bed. The sleep sounds continue playing in the background while you use other apps, and you can set sounds to play on a timer so they subtly fade out while you are asleep,” according to Sleep Foundation.
ZDNET points out you can, “choose from a ton of free or premium sounds to make a custom playlist that you can play back at any time. When you combine multiple sounds, you can choose the volume of each, making some softer than others to create the perfect balance you want.”
This iOS and Android compatible app is packed with features too. “With its user-friendly bedtime reminders, sleep tracker, sleep recorder, and quality sleep sounds, you can understand and improve your sleep,” adds iGeeksBlog.
4. White Noise Lite
Women’s Health calls White Noise Lite, “one of the best free sleep apps. A good all-rounder, it offers a huge range of different sounds, including cars, city streets, rain, vacuums and waves. Simple to use, it’s a go-to for exhausted new parents, jet lag struggles or just to quiet a busy brain, especially as you’re sure to be able to find something everyone in the bed will like.”
“Some of the key features of White Noise Lite include 50+ perfectly picked sounds, background audio support, an Audio mixer to mix noises, and advanced controls for volume, balance, pitch, etc,” adds TechViral. The app is available for both Apple and Android devices. Geekflare points out the variety of sounds, including “thunderstorms, blowing wind, crashing waves at sea, a campfire, and raindrops on a car roof.”
5. Noisli
Rounding out our list, is Noisli. You can find it in the Apple and Google Play stores. Screen Rant notes the app, “uses noise to lull listeners to sleep with a selection of sounds that mimic white noise to a crackling fire, to an airplane; there is something for everyone. But the app doesn’t only use sound to get users relaxed enough to fall into a deep sleep; it also uses light that counteracts blue light, which usually keeps people awake and creates a more relaxing experience.”
As the snow melts, the murmur of the river increases 💦 #SoundOn pic.twitter.com/7sff4sKh8P
— Noisli (@noisli) March 6, 2023
The features don’t stop there. “Noisli also comes with a handy timer function, and the ability to work offline, if you need it to. You will have to pay to enjoy the app on your mobile device, but you can visit Noisli on the web to try it out for free before parting with your money,” adds Popular Science.
“Noisli promises to create a pleasant environment for everything from quick power naps to a solid night’s sleep. There are plenty to experiment with, including the chatter of birds, a steady stream of water or the noise of a bustling coffee shop,” according to Women’s Health.
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Sources:
- ZDNET
- Too Many Adapters
- Geekflare
- iGeeksBlog
- Lowkey Tech
- Screen Rant
- Sleep Foundation
- Women’s Health
- TechViral
- Popular Science
Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations. This post may contain affiliate links.