Just in case anyone has forgotten how awesome it is, I want to sing praises to the WhiteNoise app again. Here are three recent reasons why I love it.
I use it at most hotels I go to, just because there is almost always some background noise that makes it hard to sleep. A cranky a/c unit, loud neighbors, a nearby ice machine…. Hotels are not quiet places! Last week I was staying in a hotel that I did not book, so therefore did not realize how close it was to the interstate. When I was going to sleep, enough cars were passing that the noise was pretty consistent, and so created its own sort of white noise. A few hours later I woke up, and it was a different story. Every 30 seconds or so a truck would pass, making an incredibly loud noise. Certainly not consistent enough to get me to go back to sleep. After 15 minutes of not being able to sleep, out came the iPhone with the WhiteNoise app. I was asleep in less than five minutes.
Last month, I went to Chicago for my sister’s baby shower. Her condo is very nice, but she has some unfortunately loud neighbors. The night of the shower, we were all pretty exhausted so we went to sleep early. The neighbors didn’t get the memo. As I was trying to sleep, I heard some low talking. I figured it was my sister and her husband, although was kind of confused about how I could hear them since their room is at the back of the condo and the guest room is at the front. The talking gradually got louder and louder, and finally was accompanied by some upbeat piano music. At that point I realized there was no way it was my sister, and put the pillow over my head. It didn’t help. The neighbors continued to get louder, and I kept suffering, until I remembered the WhiteNoise app. Done and done.
Here’s one that’s not travel related. My sister had her baby last week. Her little girl is incredibly beautiful! I can’t wait to meet her when I go back to Chicago in a few weeks. Apparently, newborns are a lot of work, and one night she wouldn’t go to sleep. My mother had the brilliant idea of getting out her iPhone with the WhiteNoise app, and that baby was asleep in just a few minutes. Brilliant.
So friends, if you ever have trouble falling asleep because of weird or loud noises, get the WhiteNoise app! The “lite” version is free, the full version is $1.99, and it will help you so, so much.
Now $1.99
There is a free version available (search White Noise lite) and the full version is $1.99. I’ve updated the post to reflect that. Thanks!
Congrats on the new arrival!
how long will it run before your batteries die?
I love white noise apps! I don’t use the one you mention, but they’re great. I use one every night because my apartment faces the street and is not far from a fire station (great planning, I know). Thought it would keep me from sleeping places when I don’t use it, but happy to report that’s not the case 🙂
@george good question! Most of the time when I use it my phone is plugged in, so it doesn’t matter. However I will also use it when I want to sleep on flights. The longest I’ve ever used it for is around six hours flying from DFW to Tokyo, and my phone battery wasn’t even half gone. Hope this gives you an idea!
We *lived* with the WhiteNoise app when our daughter was younger (before she was 7mths old). We had it installed on an iPod connected to external speakers to play a dishwasher for her to fall asleep to. We have it installed on our phones as well, and still use it (at 13mths) when she’s really fussy and won’t fall asleep.
Totally agree. We have an ‘ocean sound’ machine for Elias, and use the sleep e-lite app when we travel with him. I realized last time I stayed in my brother’s condo near a busy road in Austin that it helps ME sleep as much as my toddler on the road!
Relax Melodies is a free alternative in the iTunes app store (don’t know about Android) and it’s great! It has 41 sounds to choose from, you can mix sounds with each other (and set individual noises to different volumes) if you so desire. Also has two binaural beat options–one for relaxation and one for concentration. Seriously, love it.