Should you play white noise all night?
It depends on what wakes you. If noise keeps waking you during the night, keep it on. If you only need help drifting off, let a timer fade it out.
Keep it on all night if…
- You wake up to noises in the night or early morning: traffic, neighbors, a partner getting up.
- You sleep during the day, when the world outside is loud.
- Waking up to silence after it stops jolts you awake.
Use a timer if…
- You mostly need help falling asleep, and the night is quiet after that.
- You'd rather not have sound playing for eight hours.
- You want the room quiet when you wake up.
Let it fade, don't cut it
A sound that stops suddenly is itself a change that can wake you. A timer that fades out slowly over a few seconds is much gentler. Fan of Sleep's timer does exactly that: pick 15 minutes to 8 hours, or a time of day, and everything fades out at the end.
