Guy McDowell · February 20, 2022 · 5 min read Do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep because of all the little sounds of the night? Or, perhaps your baby is having a tough time sleeping. Consider using white noise. To find the white noise that’s right for you, try the 7 YouTube white noise channels we think are the best. Combine them with other sleep improvement devices and you’ll feel like new in no time.
What Is White Noise?
There’s “white noise” and then there’s white noise. What the average person calls white noise is any indistinct sound that has a hissing but pleasant sound and masks other sounds. These “white noises” could actually be white, brown, pink, or some blend of them.
Real white noise is a random sound signal which has the same intensity at all different frequencies, measured in kiloHertz (kHz). White noise helps mask other sounds and may help with sleep and concentration.
Brown noise is sound at lower frequencies. Think of it as bass white noise. Brown noise may help with focus, better sleep, and relaxation. Notice the decibel (dB) key. The darker the color the lower the decibels or loudness.
Pink noise is a sound where intensity is at higher frequencies. So it’s a more treble, or higher pitched, white noise. Pink noise may help with the quality and duration of sleep.
What we’re looking at on YouTube is white noise in the general sense. So any random, repeating sound that might help you sleep, study, or focus is considered white noise.
1. Relaxing White Noise – Sleep for Babies
Number of Videos: 49
Play Length Range: 10 to 12 hours
With 131 million views, or listens, Relaxing White Noise’s Colicky Baby Sleeps To This Magic Sound is a great place to start. This playlist has almost 50 videos meant just for your little ones but they’ll work for anyone. While they’re sleeping check out the rest of Relaxing White Noise’s 1300+ videos. There’s even a couple for your dog.
The analysis shows that the sound is more pink than white, and there are distinct frequency bands within the lower part. Is that the key to reducing baby stress?
2. Jason Lewis – Mind Amend – Colored Noise Playlist
Number of Videos: 17
Play Length Range: 3 to 12 hours
Producing music or sounds to increase focus, help with meditation, and aid sleep is what Jason Lewis does. Along with his isochronic tone tracks, he has a solid playlist of colored noise with white, brown, and pink noise. The Smoothed Brown Noise 8-hours track has over 7 million listens.
It’s much closer to the classic brown noise pattern and is deeper in tone. It sits in the background of your hearing, smoothing things out. Jason Lewis claims it may even help soothe tinnitus.
3. Calm – Soothing Sounds Playlist
Number of Videos: 6
Play Length Range: 3 to 8 hours
You probably know, or even use, the Calm app. This is their YouTube channel. Most of the videos have music or storytelling, but the Soothing Sounds Playlist is white noise as generated by nature. Enjoy the Rainstorm Sounds for Relaxing, Focus, or Deep Sleep. The sound of rain falling is random and makes for a peaceful night or a natural backdrop for meditation.
In analysis, the rainstorm seems to sit somewhere between a pink and brown noise. If you like a bit higher tone overlaying a deeper one, this will work for you.
4. SleepySounds – White Noise Playlist
Number of Videos: 3
Play Length Range: 9 hours
A lesser-known white noise channel, SleepySounds has a nice mix of noises and environmental sounds. Although not in the White Noise playlist, try the Forced Air Heater track. If you find the sound of large ventilation systems relaxing, this will put you out for the night. It might also remind you of the library and induce better studying.
It falls into the brown noise range for sure, but look at the lowest frequencies. It drops off and there isn’t much there. Perhaps that’s the secret to this sound.
5. Frank Battiston
Number of Videos: 6
Play Length Range: 3 to 8 hours
When you visit Frank Battiston’s channel you’ll think you’re in the wrong place. It’s mostly video walkthroughs of cruise ship suites. But Frank has 4 white noise videos tucked in there. The White Noise – Black Screen – No Ads – 10 hours – Perfect Baby Sleep Aid video has almost 4 million views in 2 years. Clearly people like it.
Notice that this track is also missing the lowest frequencies but resembles Brown noise. It’s interesting that it starts to break up around the 15kHz mark.
6. Randall’s Rest and Relaxation – 4K Fan Sounds for Sleeping Playlist
Number of Videos: 42
Play Length Range: 8.5 to 10 hours
Randall is out there doing the Sandman’s work. He handcrafts each of these fan sounds with real fans. Box fans, ventilation fans, even dehumidifier fans. If you like fans, well Randall is your man. Who else would create Fan Noise of 12 Fans for 12 Hours?
You probably never wondered what 12 box fans together look like, let alone what they sound like, but here it’s. And now you can see what the sound of 12 box fans looks like too. Note the high decibels down near the 0 kHz range.
Sounds Like a Lot
If you travel or need the sounds to play without the screen on, you could rip the audio from YouTube or download whole playlists. We’ve provided you with over 100 white noise videos with over 1000 hours of playtime. You’re ready for any situation requiring white noise.
