CASSANDRA

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THE COLOR SPECTRUM OF SLEEP

Colored noise can be helpful to your Zzzs

In the pursuit of more and better quality sleep, you’ve likely already heard about and tried every hack under the sun- or moon. You’re not alone. With over 384M views on TikTok #sleeptips surfaces hacks for insomniacs including everything from mouth-taping, acupressure, or even boiling lettuce. And of course, there’s the classic hack white noise. But if a decent night in the land of nod still evades you and you’re ready to take it to the next level, perhaps it's time to step up your colored sound game.

Abstract green background with dark green text saying "#greennoise" overlayed.

GREEN NOISE

Some say green is the color of nature, new beginnings, and energy, but you might not know that green can help you sleep—in audio form, at least! As the latest audio sleep aid to take over the airwaves, #Greennoise has started to find quite a following. With over 1.1M views on TikTok alone, sleep-deprived TikTokers and experts alike share soothing middle-frequency sounds that help provide a calming, more relaxed feeling right as you’re about to go to sleep.

Quote text “I can't sleep in dead silence, so having something playing in the background that doesn't take up too much bandwidth is nice.” over a navy background

— Nakia, 18, NC (Cassandra Collective)

Abstract pink background with dark red text saying "#pinknoise" overlayed.

PINK NOISE

Pink noise isn’t actually new but is popping up on TikTok thanks to people discovering its benefits. Similar to white noise in that it has that constant, low-level hum, the difference is its deeper, lower sound waves, with a consistent rhythm. Anecdotally, fans of pink noise say it helps them to drift off more easily, allows them to stay asleep through the night, and makes them feel more rested the next morning.

Abstract brown background with light beige text saying "#brownnoise" overlayed.

BROWN NOISE

A hazily-defined category of neutral, dense sound that contains every frequency our ears can detect, brown noise gained an impassioned following last year, picking up speed in online A.D.H.D. communities, where people made videos of their reactions to hearing it for the first time, where many said it was not only a tool to help them focus but could relieve stress and soothe them to sleep. On YouTube, hour-long brown noise videos have been viewed millions of times; and now there are also curated Spotify playlists dedicated to the sound.