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Brown noise

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No. 001 · BROWN NOISE

Brown noise — a deep, low rumble for sleep and focus

  • 01 Deep, low-frequency rumble
  • 02 Sleep timer with a one-minute fade-out
  • 03 Dim warm screen light, adjustable to black

Brown noise is the lowest of the three common noise colours: a deep rumble like a strong waterfall, a jet engine heard from inside or distant thunder. Press Play, set the volume and a sleep timer, and let the page dim itself and fade out.

Other sleep sounds and clocks —
Night clockFull screen clockWhite noisePink noise
§ 01

What makes noise brown

In brown noise the power falls by 6 dB for every doubling in frequency, a 1/f squared pattern. That is a steeper slope than pink noise at 3 dB and far steeper than white noise, which is flat. The energy is concentrated in the low frequencies, so it is deep and muffled with almost no hiss.

§ 02

The name comes from Robert Brown, the botanist who described the random jiggling of particles known as Brownian motion.

Brown is not about the colour

The name comes from Robert Brown, the botanist who described the random jiggling of particles known as Brownian motion. Brown noise is what you get by adding up random steps, which is also how the page makes it. Some people call it red noise for the same spectrum, using the colour-of-light analogy.

§ 03

Brown noise for focus

Many people use brown noise for studying, reading or working in an open office because it covers speech and keyboard clatter without a bright hiss. Reports of it helping attention, including for ADHD, are popular but backed by little research so far. If it helps you concentrate, that is enough reason to use it.

Procedure

Three moves to peak output

  1. 01

    Check your speakers

    Brown noise is mostly bass. Small phone and laptop speakers reproduce little of it, so it can sound thin there. Headphones or a larger speaker show it properly.

  2. 02

    Start quiet

    Press Play with the Volume slider low. Low-frequency sound carries through walls, so keep it modest.

  3. 03

    Set a sleep timer

    Choose 15 to 90 minutes. Sound and screen light fade over the final minute, then the page stops.

Inquiries

Questions worth asking

Q.01 Why does it sound quiet on my phone?
Phone speakers are small and give up bass first, so they reproduce little of what makes brown noise. Try headphones, a laptop or a Bluetooth speaker. Do not push the volume up to compensate.
Q.02 What is the difference between brown and ocean waves?
The ocean sound on this page is brown noise whose volume rises and falls slowly, about every ten seconds, to suggest surf. Choose Ocean waves in the sound buttons to hear it.
Q.03 Does brown noise help with ADHD?
Some people with ADHD say it helps them focus, and there is a small body of research on steady background noise and attention. The evidence is not strong enough to call it a treatment. If you are considering it for ADHD, ask a clinician.
Q.04 Is this a recording?
No. The sound is generated by your browser as you listen, so there is nothing to download and no file to buffer. It plays as a repeating eight-second pattern, long enough that most people do not notice the loop.
Q.05 Will it keep playing when my phone locks?
Not reliably. Some phone browsers pause web audio once the screen turns off. Playing keeps the screen awake on browsers that support the Screen Wake Lock API (Chrome, Edge and recent Safari). Turn the Screen light down to 0% and the screen shows black. If your phone still stops the sound, switch off auto-lock for the night.
Q.06 How loud should I set it?
Quiet enough to talk over comfortably, and no louder than you need to cover the sounds you want to mask. The Volume slider is relative to your device volume, so the page cannot tell you how many decibels you are getting. For a baby's room, keep the speaker well away from the crib and the volume low.
Q.07 Does noise help you sleep?
The well-established effect is masking: a steady sound makes sudden noises such as traffic, a neighbour or a snoring partner less noticeable. Research on whether steady noise improves sleep itself is mixed and mostly small. It is not a treatment for insomnia or any other condition, so talk to a doctor if you cannot sleep for weeks.
Cross-reference

Try adjacent plates