User:KHW 1985/sandbox

= The Applications of Brown Noise =

Summary
Brown Noise is also referred to as Brownian Noise, because the frequency pattern is comparable to ‘Brownian Motion;’ and Red Noise, due to the focus on low frequency sounds. The colour of the sound refers to the frequencies it contains. Brown Noise includes all of the frequencies the human ear can detect, played at once, but with strong emphasis on the lower frequencies. It is said to be more comfortable to listen to that white noise, resembling the sound of waterfalls rather than the more static sound of white noise. Brown Noise is something that has been popular on social media platforms including Tiktok, particularly among ADHD Communities (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) who believe that Brown Noise helps them concentrate.

Whilst research studies are growing, Brown Noise has not been as thoroughly researched as White Noise, however there is growing evidence that it can be used to aid: Therapeutic treatment / ADHD treatment / Tinnitus treatment / Improving focus / Improving sleep patterns

How it works depends on what the listener is hoping to achieve by listening to it, but Brown Noise can act as a masking sound for sleep ); and is said to change the state of the brain as it mimics the brain’s natural resting state .  In line with the Moderate Brain Arosal Model for explaining ADHD, one theory is that the Brown noise fills the deficit of dopamine commonly associated with ADHD, which controls the amount of noise in the brain needed for optimal function

Therapeutic Treatment
Nikhil Koparde, a musical composer, states that emotions have a certain state in the mind which once identified, can be manipulated through use of the right frequencies. Koparde is now working on a platform called My Sound Technology with the aim of making it available as a therapeutic treatment in for example, hospitals.

ADHD Treatment (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
The subject of Brown Noise has been a popular topic on the Social Media Platform TikTok, particularly among those with ADHD who claim Brown Noise has enabled them to focus more efficiently.

The Moderate Brain Arousal Model for explaining ADHD (Sikstrom and Soderlund., 2007) suggests that people with ADHD have lower Dopamine levels. One function of Dopamine is to regulate the amount of noise the brain needs to achieve optimal cognitive function. Kahn (2022) suggests that people with ADHD don’t have enough noise, or ‘internal stimuli’ to maintain focus, therefore playing Brown Noise may fill this deficit for the periods of time it is listened to and allow them to focus

Tinnitus Treatment
Studies including the ‘Effects of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy with Different Colours of Sound’ have shown Brown Noise to be not only effective, but in-fact the preferred sound for treating Tinnitus discomfort during Tinnitus retraining therapy. Whilst white noise can worsen symptoms in some patients, the focus on lower frequencies within Brown Noise is deemed more comfortable for listening.

Increasing Focus and Productivity
Studies have evidenced that Brown Noise can be effective in improving concentration and task performance. A study by Vassie & Richardson (2017) concluded that the concentration and task performance in an office environment improved significantly when participants were asked to listen to Brown Noise on headphones, however some participants found that the volume needed to mask the sounds of the office was too high and therefore uncomfortable.

See also:  ADHD Treatments

Improving sleep patterns
Platforms including Spotify and YouTube offer playlists and sound clips of Brown Noise with the description that they can help improve sleep.

In the article ‘What are pink and brown noise and how do they affect your brain? ’, Andrew Khan, the Associate Director of Behaviour Change and Expertise at Underwood, discusses that research on Brown Noise is only recently emerging and currently tends to include only small sample sizes. He did suggest that Brown Noise could be useful for aiding sleep, but more in a way of masking other sounds (for example, a partner who snores).

The use of Brown Noise as a sound masking aid when sleeping, was also studied by Warjri et al., 2021. This study showed a significant improvement in sleep levels among patients in an Intensive Care Unit who were given noise including Brown Noise to listen to at night using headphones.

How does it work (Relevant Science)?

 * When describing how sound affects the brain (looking specifically at music without words), Bhoria et al (2012) describes that it can stimulate an increase of cellular activity in the ‘non-dominant’ hemisphere of the brain; the pituitary adrenal-cortical axis and sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis are activated, and hormone level including: epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol can be affected.


 * Some sounds can change the ‘state of the brain’ when listened to; and Brown noise is very similar to the brain’s natural resting state.
 * Chaudhury et al (2013) also concluded that as a person’s brain develops, it forms a preference for different sounds.  The right sound can trigger neural pathways, particularly the BDNF-Trk pathway which they describe as being similar to those activated by being in an enriched environment. Brown noise has been described as more comfortable and preferable to listen to than White noise.
 * Chaudhury et al (2013) looked at the role of sound stimulation in brain connectivity, looking mainly at developing brains, and found that familiar sounds (including a mother’s voice, or music) can trigger mechanisms of brain functions including those associated with learning and memory. Brown noise is said to mimic the sound of the womb.
 * Many studies have shown that volume plays an important part in how sound affects the brain  . Findings tend to indicate that while sound (including Brown Noise) can relax the body, sound that is high enough to cause discomfort for participants may create a negative stress response, and in fact increase blood pressure, blood flow and heart rate.