How Sound Impacts Your Sleep Cycle

how sound impacts your sleep cycle
June 21, 2019

Are you getting enough healthy sleep? Is loud noise during sleep getting in the way? Proper rest is an essential part of good health, and it is imperative that you understand the relationship between sleep and sound. Here are some facts that can help you understand how sound impacts your sleep cycle and ideas on what you can do about sleep and noise pollution effects.

How Does Sound Affect Your Sleep?

Although sound can disrupt your sleep anytime throughout the sleep cycle, it tends to be most disturbing during State 2 Sleep, that period when you have fallen asleep but not yet reached the deeper, dream-state of sleep known as REM sleep. We spend about half the night in this non-REM sleep, so disruptions to it can be significant.

That being said, some noises can rouse you out of that deep, REM dream sleep, as well, which can be even more disturbing.

It’s critical that you get enough quality sleep every night. Research shows that noise pollution and lack of sleep can both have serious health effects.

It doesn’t need to be particularly loud noise to disrupt sleep — sound as low as 30 decibels can do the trick. Traffic noise usually comes in and around 70 decibels.

Different sounds can affect different people in different ways. If you’ve had young children, you know a baby’s cry can awaken a parent from sleep almost instantly, while those who live in high noise pollution areas can often sleep through sounds that would easily awaken the average person.

Almost everyone can agree, however, that a quieter environment usually means better sleep. So how can you reduce sound so you can enjoy more healthy sleep?

How Can You Reduce Noise So You Can Get a Better Night’s Sleep?

One way you can block out annoying sounds is with a white noise machine. White noise machines blanket your bedroom with sound across frequencies to mask the harsh sounds that might otherwise disrupt your sleep and wake you up. Most such devices have a variety of soothing sounds that can help you get to sleep and stay asleep. Some phone apps can even produce white noise.

Another idea is to use noise-canceling earphones. This can be especially useful if you have a partner who snores, although some people may be uncomfortable wearing headphones to bed.

It’s also a good idea to turn off TVs and stereos and mute devices before going to sleep.

Get Soundproofing Materials From Soundproof Cow

Another great solution is to soundproof your bedroom. The right sound blocking and sound dampening material can keep unwanted noises from getting in and soften the sounds already in your bedroom. You’ll find all the soundproofing material you need at Soundproof Cow. We have products that are environmentally-friendly, easy to install and great at sound blocking and sound absorption.

Order some now and enjoy better sleep from now on! Feel free to contact our team if you have any questions.

 

Learn More About Sound & Sleep

Why Certain Sounds Lull You To Sleep

Tips for Blocking Out Snoring Noises

How to Blockout Noise While Sleeping

How Sounds Help Babies Sleep

Alternatives to Earplugs for Sleeping

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About Kellen Beaver

Soundproof Cow Representative Kellen

Kellen has been a member of the sales team for over a decade. Prior to delving into the soundproofing realm, he was a jack of all trades in the service industry, working both front and back of the house jobs to various degrees. This diversity in experience makes it easy to relate to the needs of a large customer base. He understands noisy environments as well as the importance of aesthetics in a space. Adding something that doesn’t fit the look can be intrusive, so knowing that acoustical needs must fit the interior design is something he’s become very well-versed in. Most of this planning comes from working with both the owner/operators as well as their design team and architects. He has been able to adapt his knowledge in the restaurant industry into projects involving schools, office buildings and large medical facilities when the situation calls for it.

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