If you’ve been searching for solutions to help you get a good night’s sleep, you have probably come across white noise and possibly pink noise. And if either of those options haven’t worked for you, don’t give up yet because there is also brown noise.
Brown noise is another color of noise, but unlike its colored brethren brown noise gets its name from botanist Robert Brown, who discovered Brownian motion (random particle motion) or Random Walk Noise. As Live Science notes, “Brown noise is often referred to as Brownian noise – because its change in sound signal from one moment to the next is random.”
Brown noise is more closely related to pink noise and is also known as red noise because – similar to red light which blocks out all other colors other than red – it has a lower frequency and thus deeper sound.
According to Sleep of Sound UK: “The reduced range of frequency makes brown noise slightly less effective as a noise cancellation sound. However, if the sound you are trying to mask has a low frequency (such as boots on upstairs floorboards) it is still effective.”
Brown noise is more of a deep bassy rumble and examples of sounds include: the low roar of a river or waterfall, or strong wind. You can find brown noise sounds and others by downloading the Rain Rain app.
And by the way, Live Science reminds us that for the record: “…brown noise has nothing to do with the mythical brown note, a hypothetical low-frequency sound said to cause people to lose control of their bowels.”