There’s scientific evidence to support the eating of pistachios or drinking banana tea for insomnia. For supplements, of course you’ve heard of melatonin.
Food and supplements aside, what’s more important is being comfortable.
Do you sleep on your side or stomach?
That preference is probably engraved in you as much as your preference for noise – or lack thereof – while sleeping.
If you need white noise, trying to fall asleep with an eerie silence can be nearly impossible.
At hotels and elsewhere, the need for a fan is a must.
At home, you may use a box fan, an oscillating floor fan, or maybe even a fancy Dyson Pure Cool.
We here at Superfoodly have used all of the above and they each have drawbacks.
For starters, fans are big and bulky. Yes, the Dyson looks more aesthetically pleasing, but it still takes up a lot of space.
Worse yet, negative reviews are rampant about the fact that the Dyson’s LED display never shuts off.
We ended up putting electrical tape on our Dyson to cover it at night and of course, that looks like crap… so much for the aesthetic appeal. It now lives in the home gym and not the bedroom!
The advantage of the Dyson is that the sound levels run from 1-10 and therefore, you can have a reasonably low sound level for white noise.
With traditional fans, you can’t.
Even their low setting is typically pretty loud. It may not bother you, but do you think it’s healthy to have your ears exposed to that constant noise for 6-9 hours each night?
Maybe, but maybe not.
Wind noise can contribute to noise-induced hearing loss in cyclists, according to a study by researchers from Henry Ford Hospital Department of Otolaryngology. It’s speculated that 85+ decibels is required for that to happen. (1)
Box fans can produce up to 80 dB and while this and lower are believed to be safe for long durations, it’s not proven that they don’t cause hearing loss or tinnitus.
To be safe, if you sleep with a fan on at night, it’s probably better to be at the lowest sound level or close to it.
For that reason, and the fact you don’t need a huge ugly fan occupying your bedroom’s valuable real estate, consider going with a good sound machine.
3rd Place: Adaptive Sound Technologies LectroFan
This is not a mechanical fan. There are no moving parts.
The audio comes from a speaker. Before you shoot down that idea, know that they claim to have a unique non-looping sound output.
Unlike those annoying Sharper Image sound machines from the 90’s and 00’s. With those, you would just toss and turn in bed, counting the cycles as the audio file repeated!
Even most of today’s expensive digital sleep machines are usually subpar.
The Deep Sleep Therapy Machine from HoMedics runs $80 and it still plays an obviously looped file.
On the other hand, the non-looping LectroFan makes 10 different fan noises, plus 10 white noises. It can be powered by AC or USB and has precise control of loudness – in 1 decibel increments.
Admittedly, this is the one on the list we haven’t yet tried ourselves. But that’s because we’ve been satisfied with the next two you’re going to see.
Given the 5,000+ reviews on Amazon, all while maintaining a 4.5 star average at time of writing this, we feel confident in recommending LectroFan for folks who want a small, compact, and affordable option for a fan-like noise machine. Check out the reviews yourself.
2nd Place: Marpac Dohm sound machine
Even if you don’t know the brand, you’ll recognize the device. These cylinder-shaped white noise makers have been on the market for a few decades now.
No doubt you’ve encountered them at doctors’ offices, therapists, and other places where they care about privacy. When needed, they put one in the waiting area to obscure sound from nosy people like you and us.
Dohm hasn’t changed much over the years and one drawback is that even at their lowest setting, they are still fairly loud.
We used one for quite a while and had to set it up in the master closet, as seen above, in order to further reduce the sound experienced in bed.
The big benefit is that the sound is created mechanically, from actual blowing air inside.
If you buy one, go with the Dohm Classic. You can pick one up on Amazon for a fair price.
Snooz is the best sound machine for sleep
Given the drawback of the Dohm’s lack of low volume capability, we decided it was time to review the market once again. It had been at least 3 years since we last researched what was out there.
Not much has changed, except for one standout – the SNOOZ white noise sound machine.
Before even testing it, we were impressed with the size and aesthetics.
Measuring 5.65 x 5.65 x 3.15 inches, this roundish shape is unobtrusive. Even on a small night stand.
It looks more like one of the latest and greatest Alexa devices, rather than something to help you sleep. It looks a lot better than the Dohm!
Snooz is available in a light and dark neutral color scheme; cloud and charcoal, respectively.
The Snooze sleep machine uses a physical fan, so you get that real full-spectrum noise that constantly yet subtly changes – unlike looped audio tracks you get with most machines and apps.
The air flow is dispersed in a unique way, so you don’t get a breeze blown on you. This is preferable for year-round use, because in the winter you probably won’t want that. Plus, any time of the year, wind blowing at your mouth while you sleep can result in unwanted respiratory side effects.
There are 10 volume settings, ranging from super-quiet to plenty loud.
It’s app-enabled, so you can control it through your iPhone or Android. You can even set a schedule so it automatically starts and stops at designated times.
Based in Champaign, Illinois, the company came to fruition via Kickstarter. Its co-founder, Eli Lazer, is a mechanical engineering graduate from University of Illinois.
Snooz isn’t the cheapest option, though is the best white noise machine for sleep if you want a fan… but better! For audio quality, features, and aesthetics, the Snooz is definitely crowned the winner in our book.
Don’t take our word for it, just check out these reviews on Amazon to see for yourself.