Carmella Hattie

Noise affects sleep duration, sleep architecture (the order of your normal sleep cycle), and sleep quality. Evidence shows that people who experience excessive nighttime noise may experience crankiness, drowsiness, tiredness during the day, and impaired physical and cognitive performance. A 2015 study suggests that disturbed sleep in duration and continuity affects many physiological processes, including appetite regulation, metabolism, hormone production, and daytime alertness. What’s more, another study suggests that uninterrupted sleep is more important for memory consolidation than the total duration of your sleep. 

What may save you from the sleep-draining effects of nighttime noise is colored noise—white noise, pink noise, and brown noise. These kinds of sounds shield your ears from the different variations of sudden noise that disrupt your relaxation as your brain becomes less receptive to them.