The effects of white noise on sleep and duration in individuals living in a high noise environment in New York City

Background Interventions for insomnia that also address autonomic dysfunction are needed. Objective We evaluate Cereset Research™ Standard Operating Procedures (CR-SOP) in a pilot randomized, controlled trial. CR-SOP is a less operator-dependent, more generalizable innovation of HIRREM®, a noninvasive, closed-loop, allostatic, acoustic stimulation neurotechnology demonstrated to improve insomnia and autonomic function. Methods Adults with Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores of ≥8 were randomized to receive ten sessions of CR-SOP, with tones linked to brainwaves (LB, intervention), or a sham condition of random tones not linked to brainwaves (NL, control). Measures were collected at enrollment and 0-14 days and 4-6 weeks post-allocated intervention. The primary outcome was differential change in ISI from baseline to 4-6 weeks post-intervention. Secondary self-report measures assessed sleep quality65 and behavioral outcomes. Ten-minute recordings of heart rate and blood pressure were collected to analyze autonomic function (heart rate variability [HRV] and baroreflex sensitivity). Results Of 22 randomized, 20 participants completed the allocated condition. Intention to treat analysis of change from baseline to the 4-6 week outcome demonstrated mean ISI score reduction of 4.69 points among controls (SE 1.40). In the intervention group, there was an additional 2.58 point reduction in ISI score (SE 2.13; total reduction of 7.27, P = .24). Sleep quality and some measures of autonomic function improved significantly among the intervention group compared to control. Conclusions This pilot study compared use of a standardized, allostatic, acoustic neurotechnology intervention with a sham, active control condition. The magnitude of change in insomnia severity was clinically relevant and similar to the findings in a prior, fully powered trial, but the differential improvement observed was not statistically significant. Significant improvements were demonstrated in sleep quality and some autonomic function measures.

It is worth mentioning that meditation, which acts as emotional therapy, has become popular in human lives nowadays. Some psychology-related software provides users with guided meditation. However, after experiencing this, several users cannot detect the effect of meditation on their mood and sleep quality. This study aims to investigate whether different kinds of sounds would affect meditation effectiveness. Specifically, it provides a reference for that software to improve the meditation function. In this context, meditation is defined as a mental exercise that trains attention and awareness. To test the hypothesis that white noise meditation would be the most effective one, while silent meditation is the least effective, an online meditation was carried out among 40 participants. They were divided into four conditions, A for vocal guidance, B for white noise, C for pure music and D for silent condition. Responses were recorded using both pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire about meditation, then it was analyzed through bar charts. The results and hypothesis deviated insignificantly: Guided meditation is the most effective one in affecting participants' mood and sleep quality, while silent meditation is the least effective one. These results suggested that the meditation software provided do have a positive impact on users' mood calming and sleep quality improvement. By contrast, some participants who did not have meditation experience before this study support that software should also concentrate on white noise meditation.

It is worth mentioning that meditation, which acts as emotional therapy, has become popular in human lives nowadays. Some psychology-related software provides users with guided meditation. However, after experiencing this, several users cannot detect the effect of meditation on their mood and sleep quality. This study aims to investigate whether different kinds of sounds would affect meditation effectiveness. Specifically, it provides a reference for that software to improve the meditation function. In this context, meditation is defined as a mental exercise that trains attention and awareness. To test the hypothesis that white noise meditation would be the most effective one, while silent meditation is the least effective, an online meditation was carried out among 40 participants. They were divided into four conditions, A for vocal guidance, B for white noise, C for pure music, and D for silent condition. Responses were recorded using both pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire about meditation, and then it was analyzed through bar charts. The results and hypothesis deviated insignificantly: Guided meditation is the most effective one in affecting participants' mood and sleep quality, while silent meditation is the least effective one. These results suggested that the meditation software provided do have a positive impact on users' mood calming and sleep quality improvement. By contrast, some participants who did not have meditation experience before this study support that software should also concentrate on white noise meditation.