How Music and Sounds Can Help Your Child Sleep Better

When it comes to creating a soothing bedtime for children, lullabies have long been used to calm little minds and help them drift off. And while they’re still commonly used for young children, soothing music and colour noise have become increasingly widespread across all age groups.

Drifting off to Dreamland with Sounds and Music

Music and calming sounds can offer a natural way to soothe restfulness and ease children into bedtime. Soft lullabies, gentle melodies, or consistent background colour noise can create a peaceful environment by masking disruptive noises, such as household activity or outdoor sounds, helping your little one fall asleep more easily. 

Certain sounds and noises can reduce stress and anxiety by calming your child’s heart rate and lowering tensions. Playing soothing music before bed may even trigger the release of dopamine, a hormone that helps your child feel happy and at ease while supporting healthy sleep patterns. 

Over time, incorporating music or sounds into your child’s nightly routine – such as a favourite lullaby or gentle hum of a sound machine, can be a comforting cue, signalling that it’s time to wind down. 

Choosing the Right Music for Sleep 

One of The Sleep Charity’s expert advisory board members, Dr Simon Durrant, cited at the 2024 Sleep For All conference that there have been several studies that show playing music before bed improves sleep quality. 

He also spoke about what features of music you should have if you want to sleep well, taking note of things such as volume levels – how much does the volume change in the music – the mean frequency register (high or low pitches) and the tempo. 

Recently published studies identified three characteristics that were effective in helping people to sleep; low pitch register; lower rhythmic activity; and smooth rather than upbeat. So, it’s recommended that you choose something with minimal disruption and no sharp changes.

Music Without Lyrics

He also went on to talk about lyrics. His research team carried out a study and found that sleep quality improved with familiar music that didn’t have lyrics. Results from this napping study found that lyrics reduced the total sleep time, and no lyrics helped people get to sleep faster than music with lyrics. The study did find, however, that music disrupted sleep if left on for the duration of the nap, therefore it’s better to use as part of a bedtime routine and getting to sleep rather than being left on throughout the nap/night. 

They found that the main reasons people use music for sleep is to distract from intrusive thoughts, block out external noise and provides a sense of safety and security – people find it provides something positive for them.

Dr Durrant stated that there have been no studies looking into music and children’s sleep but when it comes to adults, he said: “There’s sufficient evidence to say that music definitely does have an effect, and we can be reasonably confident of that. Evidence would suggest that non-lyrical music with no sharp transitions would be the music to use. If you’ve tried music and it doesn’t work, that’s fine – it doesn’t work for everyone so try some of the different sounds.”

So, if you want to incorporate music into your child’s routine, think about what music to use; play it as part of the bedtime routine rather than through the night to avoid creating a sleep association; and make sure that the volume is not too loud. 

If it doesn’t work – that’s fine. It doesn’t work for every family, so experiment with different sounds or other alternatives methods such as mindfulness or meditation to support relaxation at bedtime. 

What is Colour Noise and Would That Help My Child at Bedtime? 

Thanks in part to social media, there has been much more education around colour noise and its benefits. From white to pink to brown to green, each noise offers unique benefits for sleep and relaxation. 

Colour noise is a term borrowed from physics and audio engineering that categorises different sound frequencies by “colour,” based on their place within the sound spectrum. You may be most familiar with white noise, but there’s also pink, brown, and even green noise – each with distinct frequencies and benefits:

White Noise

This is the most well-known colour noise, containing equal intensity across all audible frequencies. White noise is a popular choice for masking background sounds like traffic and it can help those with sensory sensitivities, such as ADHD, focus on a steady, unobtrusive sound. It’s also great for individuals with busy thoughts at bedtime.

Brown Noise

Lower and deeper than white noise, brown noise has a richer, bass-like quality. It can promote relaxation and is known to help people unwind. Many find it beneficial for calming both the mind and body after a long day.

Pink Noise

Known as ambient noise, pink noise is slightly less intense at higher frequencies than white noise, making it more calming for sleep. Studies suggest that pink noise might enhance sleep quality, as its gentler pitch can be less jarring and more soothing.

Green Noise

This lesser-known colour noise sits in the middle of the sound spectrum and resembles nature sounds, such as a steady river or gentle breeze. Green noise is particularly relaxing for people who find comfort in natural sounds and is excellent for establishing a peaceful environment.

How Colour Noise Can Support Sleep

Colour noise can be particularly helpful for children, especially if they tend to wake up easily. White or pink noise can create a familiar, soothing background, helping them settle. However, if you use sound to help a child fall asleep, it’s essential to keep it consistent throughout the night, as waking up to silence can be disruptive.

Here’s how each type of noise can make a difference:

Masking Disruptive Sounds

Colour noise can block out background sounds you can’t control – like busy roads, trains, noisy neighbours etc. White noise is excellent for masking these sounds and can help children who have trouble with hypersensitivity.

Calming Intrusive Thoughts

If you’re child has a diagnosis of ADHD, struggles with an active brain at bedtime or suffers from stress or anxiety, the steady hum of brown or pink noise can quiet racing thoughts and ease them into a calm, pre-sleep state.

Consistency in Sleep Routine

Using colour noise as part of a nightly routine can create a reliable signal for your child’s body that it’s time to wind down. By incorporating it as part of their wind-down ritual, you can train their mind and body to associate certain sounds with relaxation and sleep.

Things to Keep in Mind When Using Colour Noise

Colour noise can be a fantastic tool to improve sleep, but it’s important that you don’t rely on it. While it can help your child fall asleep, becoming too dependent on it might make it harder for them to sleep in situations where it’s unavailable, such as family holidays or staying at someone else’s house. What we often suggest is using the sounds/music as part of the bedtime routine and turning off before your child is fully asleep. 

Remember, use it as a support rather than a necessity. Everyone responds differently to various types of noise, so it’s worth experimenting to find what works best for you or your child – some may find white noise energising, while pink or brown noise is more soothing. If you have children sharing a room and they have different sleep preferences, finding the right sound environment can be tricky. You will need to have open conversations to ensure each child’s needs are being met and things to consider could be headphones, apps for customisation or machines with multiple settings.  

With a little trial and error, colour noise can become a helpful tool for the whole family to enjoy a good night’s sleep.