White noise machine
A speaker playing steady broadband sound to mask noise overnight
Small speakers, and apps that do the same job, play constant broadband sound through the night. The idea is masking: against a steady background, a sudden noise is less likely to register. Evidence is mixed, and some researchers question what hours of continuous sound do to dream sleep.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Michael PhelpsDoes it
Olympic swimmer · Most decorated Olympian in history
The same interview described a bedtime he keeps to the minute: in bed by 8:45 in the evening, with a sound machine set to start at 8:55. He talks about bedtime and hydration as inputs he controls rather than habits he hopes for.
Source: WHOOP Podcast #171 with Michael Phelps, WHOOP write-up - Matthew WalkerDiscusses
Sleep scientist · author of Why We Sleep
Humans did not evolve to sleep in silence, is his framing, and he weighs the memory benefits of noise machines against a possible cost to dream sleep. For loud, intermittent noise he thinks earplugs beat a constant hum.
Source: The Matt Walker Podcast #136: Sleep and Sound
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep.
- Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
WHOOP
Screenless wrist strap tracking strain, recovery and sleep
On record from 6 of 62 tracked people: 4 do it, 1 recommends it, 1 has discussed it - Gear$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
Oura Ring
Ring-worn sleep and readiness tracker
On record from 5 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 3 have discussed it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Blue-light blocking glasses
Amber lenses worn in the evening: popular, and genuinely contested
On record from 4 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it, 1 has discussed it - Gear$$$Expensive: Several hundred dollars and up.
Eight Sleep
Mattress cover that actively heats and cools each side of the bed
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 3 do it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Light therapy lamp
Bright artificial light for dark mornings when sunlight is not available
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - Gear$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Sleep eye mask
A cloth mask that blocks light at the eyes when a room cannot be made dark
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 2 recommend it
Gear entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.