The essential idea of white noise is to create constant and unchanging background noise to help us fall asleep or to study. From crickets chirping to distant thunder noises, white noises drown out any potentially distracting sounds.

The adjective "white" was used to describe the sound because its ultimate combination has similarities to the qualities of white light.

Many studies have been done to prove any correlation between white noise for studying and its effects.

While there may have been positive links to some, it has been also proven that the effects of background noise depend on personal experience.

Some people find the idea of total silence as a major distraction and this deprives them of sleep. Doctors often recommend white noise machines to treat sleep deprivation and often tinnitus.

Noise is not essentially what wakes us up but it is the sudden changes in background noise. What the white noise machine does is that is blocks sudden changes in sound and helps people either fall asleep or stay asleep.

Pros:

• Some babies tend to fall asleep faster with white noise in the background
• White noise helps drown out household noises during nap times
• It helps newborn babies to relax by producing a sound mimicking their mother's heartbeat

Cons:

• White noise doesn't work on all babies, it can also prevent them from sleeping
• Newborns can become "addicted" to white noise and have trouble sleeping without it
• The volume may exceed the baby's recommended noise limits

• Many people tend to fall asleep while watching TV and some actually use it to help them sleep. However, unlike white noise, the volume, tone, colors, and brightness of the TV constantly change and it interferes with our sleep.
• Studies show that although we are not conscious of it, parts of our brains continue to "watch" the TV even while we're asleep.
• To get quality sleep, it is recommended that both the sound and lighting levels of our rooms remain consistent throughout.