“Sound masking is a remarkable thing. We use it every day, in so many ways that we aren’t even aware of it. Some call it ‘white noise’ or ‘pink noise.’ It is a way to tune out our surroundings, compartmentalize our lives, and focus better. I highly encourage many of my patients to use it.” - Drew Sutton, MD, board-certified otolaryngologist
In an ever-evolving technological world, we have an increasing number of tools to help us with daily tasks. Your computer, phone, and other devices allow you to accomplish things at record speeds.
Technology hasn’t just made life easier: it has also given rise to several health-related innovations. Fitness trackers, medical imaging, and new diagnostic technologies have revolutionized medicine and the care accessible to everyone.
One technology that improves people’s lives while offering potential health benefits is sound masking. Here is an overview of sound masking, its benefits, its uses, and everything you need to know about it.
What is sound masking?
At its simplest level, sound masking involves emitting sound to mask other sounds. Standard speakers can act as a sound masking generator, but dedicated devices are generally designed to produce the highest quality masking sound possible.
Sound masking uses certain tones that the mind can easily ignore and broadcasts them at a volume that covers the noises being masked. To fully understand how it works, imagine you are in your kitchen. In complete silence, you might hear your faucet dripping; but if the refrigerator compressor kicks on or the air conditioning starts, the sound of the faucet will likely become much less noticeable.
Sound masking serves to help people tune out unnecessary noise in order to stay focused on what they are doing.
Sensory adaptation
At first glance, it might seem counterproductive to emit sound to better focus despite auditory stimuli. In reality, sound masking devices exploit a key phenomenon that allows the body to adapt to its environment: sensory adaptation.
Sensory adaptation refers to the body’s ability to desensitize itself to constant, superfluous stimuli. Being able to ignore permanent sensory stimulation allows for higher-level reasoning and ensures your mind only keeps the necessary information at its disposal.
Here is an overview of how your body adapts to different sensory stimuli.
Touch
A good example of sensory adaptation related to touch is when you get dressed. At first, you feel the contact of the clothing on your skin, but within a few minutes, your body has completely adapted to it and you go about your day without thinking about it anymore.
This ability of the body to ignore the constant sensation of fabric on your skin allows you to dedicate more mental resources to what you have to do.
Sensory adaptation, however, only occurs when the stimulation is neutral and relatively constant. This is why when you wear an itchy sweater, it can keep you from focusing: the stimulus is not neutral and your brain cannot effectively ignore it.
Smell
Sensory adaptation does not only concern touch: it also plays a role in most of your other senses. For smell, it is closely linked to no longer perceiving a scent to which you are constantly exposed, what is colloquially called “nose blindness.”
The effects of sensory adaptation on smell are even more marked when you leave a room and return to it after a while. For example, if you are cooking dinner, go outside, and then return, you will notice the cooking smells more than before. This is also likely why you feel your home has no scent, whereas you perceive that of others very well.
Temperature
Sensory adaptation is also observed with the perception of temperature. If you have ever jumped into a cold pool, you know that initial shock of cold, then that gradual acclimation of your body. This gradual acclimatization to the water is due to sensory adaptation.
Sound
Your hearing is by far one of the most adaptive senses. When a sound is constant and relatively innocuous, the brain eventually just forgets it.
This is especially true for ambient sounds. Constant, continuous background noises like an air conditioning compressor or a fan move to the background after a few minutes, and you don’t really notice them anymore.
How sound masking exploits sensory adaptation
Sound masking takes advantage of sensory adaptation by broadcasting ambient noise at a volume that covers other noises. When the masking device is on, the signals that reach your ears pick up the ambient noise rather than the sounds you are trying to mask.
This additional sound exposure can be difficult to handle at first, but over time, your body adapts to the masking sound and ends up ignoring it. The result: fewer noises to distract you in your immediate environment.
What is sound masking used for?
Thanks to its relatively simple implementation, sound masking has found many uses, from the office to the bedroom for a good night's sleep. Here are some concrete applications of sound masking.
Productivity
Shared workspaces have been the norm for some time now. Cubicles are an excellent way to reduce space-related costs, but they suffer from noise distractions. A noisy neighbor or the sound of conversations can divert an employee’s attention and harm their productivity.
Due to the frequency of these noise distractions, many companies are starting to integrate sound masking into their workspaces. Simply installing speakers in the ceiling and playing ambient sounds can significantly reduce distractions in the workplace.
Beyond offices, sound masking can be useful whenever you need to be productive. Simply use headphones to play white noise to mitigate noise distractions.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a condition characterized by the perception of a sound that does not exist in the environment. Those affected hear a tone that is not actually there. Tinnitus has several possible causes, but it is frequently associated with other conditions such as hearing loss.
Tinnitus manifests very differently from person to person. Some perceive high-pitched sounds, others a kind of rushing noise. Furthermore, some tinnitus comes and goes while others are permanent.
The situation can be extremely distressing for those affected, as these sounds are annoying and trigger negative emotions. They risk worsening at night, at bedtime, when there is nothing left but the silence and the sound of the tinnitus.
Sound masking is excellent for people suffering from tinnitus, providing them with welcome relief. This is especially true when falling asleep. The last thing you need is to add a lack of sleep to tinnitus that is already difficult to live with.
Sound masking applied to tinnitus consists of playing ambient sounds loud enough to cover your tinnitus, but soothing and constant enough to allow sensory adaptation to take hold and let you fall asleep.
Sleep
In recent years, many white noise generators have appeared on the market, aimed at parents who want to put their children to sleep more easily and help them stay asleep. These devices are now very common in nurseries, as they help children sleep without interruption by covering noises that could wake them, such as conversations in another room.
Sound masking doesn't just work for children: it can also be useful for adults who live in environments subject to frequent nighttime noise nuisances, such as a busy street. White noise has even proven useful in hospitals, where patients risk being woken up by monitors and other noises.
Conclusion
In summary, sound masking is a technique that uses white noise to cover unwanted or distracting noises. It relies on the body’s natural tendency to adapt to constant stimuli, known as sensory adaptation.
Sound masking has settled into many aspects of daily life: at the office, in the bedroom, and even as a way to provide temporary relief to those suffering from tinnitus.
With a simple speaker and a sound track, you can easily enjoy all the benefits of sound masking for a modest initial investment.
At CLARIA, we are committed to helping patients learn more about hearing health outside the audiologist’s office and truly explore what is out there. This is why we offer hearing aids at competitive prices as well as a wealth of information to stay up to date on the latest news in hearing.
Sources:
Sensory adaptation as optimal resource allocation | PNAS
Why You Can Focus in a Coffee Shop but Not in Your Open Office | HBR
Effect of White Noise on Sleep in Patients Admitted to a Coronary Care. | NCBI
