How Sound Impacts Your Sleep Cycle

Some of us can sleep through a hurricane, while others will bolt upright at the creak of a door being opened. But everyone’s sleep is affected by the sounds we hear as we lay slumbering. In fact, a whole host of sensory cues can play a major role in how much, and how efficient, we sleep. Factors such as light and scents, whether or not we’re too hot or too cold, how comfortable we are, and yes the specifics of the auditory environment all impact our ability to sleep.

In the case of sound, it’s a complex interaction. Some sounds are soothing, and can even work to counteract less reassuring noises. Rain on a roof or other natural noises can cause the sounds of a modern urban city to fade away, as our brains focus on the familiar nature.

The issue with sound affecting sleep is not just a matter of mere annoyance. Interrupted sleep, or poor quality sleep, can cause physical health problems. Cardiovascular issues, for example, are more common in those who have sleeping disorders or chronic issues with getting enough quality sleep. So when you take steps to keep from being awakened by things that go bump in the night, you’re actually making a very mature effort to safeguard your well being.

Key Points:

  • 1Sleep quality can be affected positively or negatively by sound, temperature, light, and other factors.
  • 2Poor sleep habits can have negative effects on health, such as cardiovascular disease and loss of years of healthy life.
  • 3Sleep loss due to noise noise can be avoided by changing daily habits, such as running noisy appliances well before bed time or using sound machines to produce soothing sounds.


A travel sound machine or your smartphone can also be handy, as several phone apps also have white noise and nature sounds designed to promote sleep.
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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