As you probably already know, the path to quality sleep is not as easy as it seems. That’s a shame, because the benefits of sleep are pretty obvious: you’re likely to wake up rested, rested, and ready for the day. If you have trouble sleeping, creating a cool space can help. This is why you should think about adding a white noise machine to your bedroom – it can make a huge difference.
Read more: 4 best noise colors to improve your sleep quality
If you toss and turn at night, a white noise machine could help. Not only is it a constant noise that is soothing, but it also overlays other annoying noises from outside that might distract you. When I lived in an apartment complex with thin walls, a sound machine helped drown out ambient sounds like crying babies, revving engines, and barking dogs. White noise machines can also make a great gift for other insomniacs.
To help everyone catch more Z’s and get a good night’s sleep, I tried out a bunch of white noise machines. If these can help me, a perfect light sleeper, drift off into dreamland, then they’re definitely worth a try if you want to get a good night’s sleep too.
The best white noise machine
We tested the best white noise machines on the market and narrowed down our selection to Homedics Sound Spa. We chose it as the overall best white noise machine because of its unique features and affordability. The best white noise machine for you is the one that checks all the boxes for your specific needs.
An Amazon favorite, Homedics Sound Spa offers the perfect balance between quality and budget; it is a good value. This white noise machine has a timer that you can set for 15, 30 or 60 minutes and plays six soothing nature and sleep sounds. Choose from the soothing sound options of white noise, stream, thunder, summer night, ocean and rain. You can plug the Sound Spa into a wall outlet or use batteries and take it on the go, which brings me to one of its best features – that it’s incredibly portable. This white noise sound machine is light and thin, so you can easily fit it in your carry-on luggage or personal item.
What I love: The Homedics Sound Spa is inexpensive, easy to use and portable. It produces high quality sound for the price (although the rain setting has an obvious loop) and has enough sound settings for the average person.
What I don’t like: When the Sound Spa is on, a small green light will illuminate on the top of the device. I’m quite sensitive to light when falling asleep and sleeping (I’m a very light sleeper), so I found this green light very bright and unnecessary. If you want pitch black darkness, Homedics Sound Spa is probably not for you, or you can try covering the light.
Unlike many models, the LectroFan doesn’t have the sounds of birds chirping, ocean waves, falling water, or other nature sounds, and I think that’s a good thing. It means that people who buy a white noise machine get exactly what they want. LectroFan has a total of 20 sounds: 10 white noise sounds and 10 fan sounds. It has only three buttons on the front: power, volume control and audio selection. The adjustable volume control is quite responsive and I never had a problem finding just the right volume to mask outside sounds on any given night. I’ve been using the LectroFan on and off for about six months, both at home and on the go.
What I love: I love the simplicity of the LectroFan. Its small size and portability contribute to this. This is the perfect white noise machine for people who don’t need a lot of sound options but need to take their white noise machine on the go.
What I don’t like: There’s nothing not to like about the LectroFan, unless you’re looking for something with the sounds of nature. If so, definitely look elsewhere.
If you want a white noise machine that is much more than just a white noise machine, Sound of Sleep’s Sound Plus Sleep SE is the one you need. It may cost more than most people want to spend on a white noise machine, but you get your money’s worth. I’ve been using it for over six months and not only does it put me to sleep (and keep me asleep), but it also helps me focus while working from home and drown out the distractions.
What I love: The wide variety of sounds you get with this white noise machine. I use the pink noise setting to fall asleep and the meditation or rain setting to focus at work. I also love the crisp volume control and sleek design. It doesn’t look out of place on my nightstand or my desk.
What I don’t like: There’s nothing I don’t like about the Sound+Sleep SE. It’s expensive for a sound machine, but worth it if you have trouble falling asleep at night. You can’t put a price tag on feeling well rested.
CNET’s Vanessa Hand Orellana tested this noise machine, and I’ll share her comments here.
The Hatch Baby Rest (or Hatch Rest 2nd Gen) is a sound machine, night light and alarm in one. As a sound machine and night light, it’s pretty simple. You can turn on the sound and light from the device itself, change the sound type or light color, and increase or decrease the volume and brightness. To do anything more complex, you need to pair it with an app.
If you have Rest Plus, the app also doubles as a babysitter (audio only), allowing you to either listen or talk to your baby. It will still play sound even when the phone screen is in standby mode.
What I love: There are similar products that offer similar features for less money — the Rest retails for $55, while the Rest Plus (which also has a digital clock and baby monitor) costs $90 — but what drew me to Rest was the level of in-app customization and elegant design. It didn’t conflict with my child’s nursery, the only room in the house I put a lot of creative effort into. It looks like a small candle and won’t take up much space on your shelf or counter.
What I don’t like: You’ll need access to an outlet to plug it in, though the Rest Plus can actually hold a charge if you want to move it somewhere else while you sleep.
The Hatch Restore 2 is a great all-in-one white noise machine that doubles as a sunrise alarm clock (something you should consider if you hate waking up to sudden and invasive alarm clock sounds).
What I liked most about Hatch Restore is how easy it is to use: With the Hatch Sleep app, you can set up an entire bedtime routine with multiple alarms so you have separate ones for weekdays and weekends. You can also adjust the volume, light intensity and sounds. For example, here’s what I set up on my Hatch Restore:
- A bedtime routine that starts with 20 minutes of reading. Hatch Restore gently illuminates my room with peachy light.
- 10-minute relaxing guided meditation. There are several to choose from in the Hatch app, plus with a premium subscription.
- Pink noise that continues until my alarm goes off.
- A 30-minute sunrise alarm that culminates with the sound of the Alpine Alps: I wake up to what sounds like an early winter morning.
What I love: You set it all up in the app, but you don’t need your phone to start your bedtime routine: You can simply tap the button at the top of Hatch Restore to get things started. Without a premium subscription, you have access to more than 20 light shades and 31 sleep and wake sounds.
What I don’t love: If you want to explore more shades and sounds, you need to subscribe to unlock more content for $5 a month or $50 a year.
Honeywell makes trusted and high quality products and the Dreamweaver Sleep Fan is no different. This little night fan also works as a sound machine, but it doesn’t actually use white noise. It uses pink noise, a gentler type of ambient noise that has been shown to increase the time spent in deep sleep and improve memory. When I lived in a busy apartment complex, this combination of a fan and pink noise helped drown out the sounds of cars and pedestrians.
What I love: On the top of the unit is a small night light that has three levels; if you like to sleep in pitch black darkness, triple tap it to turn it off completely. If you like a little light, Dreamweaver can be your white noise machine, night light, and fan all in one.
What I don’t like: The fan seems to collect dust quite easily, but that’s what fans do. It’s nothing a quick wipe can’t fix.
How we tested the best white noise machines
To determine our roundup of the best white noise machines, we took into account factors such as functionality, special features, noise range, and price. These selections are based on personal preference, and you should consult your doctor before purchasing a white noise machine to ensure you get the best one for your needs.
More white noise machines
These two white noise machines aren’t my top picks, but they still offer value and may be right for you.
YogaSleep Dohm Classic
Dohm claims to be the first company to produce white noise machines, and the Dohm Classic is the original sound machine for sleep. Tea Classic Dohm it’s super simple, much like the LectroFan: It only produces white noise, and the controls are on, off, high, and low. Once you have selected high or low level, turn the cover to adjust the sound to the perfect level for you.
If you’re really looking for simplicity, the Dohm Classic embodies it. I find this white noise machine a bit limited for the price, and the sound quality isn’t as great as some of the others on this list. It’s from a reputable brand and has nearly 4,000 positive reviews on Amazon, so it’s worth checking out if you want a reliable product in the middle of the price range (about $15-$90) for white noise machines.
Snooz White Noise Sound Machine
Tea Snooz White Noise Sound Machine is a good choice for people who want an authentic fan sound. Most white noise machines come with a fan sound, but if you’re used to falling asleep with a fan on, you’ll know the difference.
That’s where Snooz comes in: This sleep machine is a simple acoustic enclosure with a mechanical fan inside. This means the sound doesn’t slip, so that’s a bonus. By rotating the body of the machine, you can change the pitch of the fan to find the one that best drowns out the sounds that keep you awake.
I would probably just prefer to sleep with a fan, because I sleep in the heat anyway. It’s a bit pricey for a white noise machine with such limited audio options, but the Snooz could work well for people who like fan sounds but don’t want cold air.
A white noise device is a device that emits a constant frequency of sound to help create an atmosphere or ambient noise. Many people use them to help them fall asleep.
Using white noise machines is generally considered safe. People with tinnitus may experience worsening of symptoms with long-term use of a white noise machine.
Our top pick for the best white noise machine is the Homedics Sound Spa. It’s an affordable device with plenty of sounds to choose from.
You can leave the white noise on all night; however, it is not necessary. If you are playing white noise for the baby, you can turn it off when he is sleeping.
Some of the best sounds for sleeping include white, brown and pink. The best noise for sleep is different for everyone; find the one that suits you best.
