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Study: Pink Noise Reduces REM Sleep, Challenges Sleep Aid Claims

A new UPenn study found pink noise reduced REM sleep by 23 minutes compared with no-noise nights in the university sleep lab.
Riding a wave of app-driven popularity, pink-noise apps and devices replaced older $15 white-noise machines, while a review found nine of 11 studies favored pink noise but mostly versus silence.
Using controlled soundscapes, 25 volunteers spent a week in UPenn's sleep lab with randomized conditions, including pink noise, environmental noise every 4–6 minutes, and earplugs, while researchers recorded polysomnography.
Adding pink noise to environmental sound led to significantly less deep sleep and trimmed total sleep by about 15 minutes, while intermittent environmental noise reduced deep sleep by about 25 minutes and earplugs preserved sleep near no-noise levels.
By simulating modern urban noises , the study found disruptions to REM sleep and deep sleep, which support memory, emotional regulation, and regeneration.

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