Seven to eight hours of sleep is recommended, but for all the insomniacs out there, that's a tough goal to reach. Whether you can't sleep because of your noisy neighbors or it's just too quiet in your house, a sleep noise machine might be exactly what you're looking for. We've chosen the best for white noise, natural sounds, and one machine that does it all to help you (hopefully) get your full eight hours.
Most versitility
There are 10 sounds to choose from, each with three different levels of richness (more noises added to each level) and recorded live for that genuine sound. The sleep timer allows up to 120 minutes of play and slowly reduces the volume to keep you asleep.
White noise
Offering 10 different fan sounds, and 10 types of white noise, you won't need anything else to fill the silence. Loud roommates, construction, or the dog that always barks at 5 a.m. won't be a problem anymore with how well the LectroFan can block out the noise.
Natural sounds
Small, lightweight, and cheap, the Big Red Rooster is a great sound machine for home or travel. There are six different sounds to lull you to sleep at home or in a hotel room: rain, brook, thunder, white noise, ocean, and summer night.
Sound and light
This machine combines soothing sounds with a reassuring nightlight. There are seven white noises, seven fan sounds, and 10 relaxing natural sounds, including birds, waves, a brook, a lullaby, crickets, a campfire effect, rain noise, and even fetal tones. The noises can be played continuously, or you can set a 30, 60, or 90-minute auto-off timer.
Portable audio
Aimed at kids, this could nonetheless be used by adults too. This simple cord-free solution is battery-powered and lightweight for travel. There are four sound options — you can choose between a heartbeat, white noise, ocean, or a lullaby. The built-in timer options are for 12, 30, 45, or 60-minute intervals.
Fan-based solution
Available since the Sixties, Marpac's Dohm sound machines are a fan-based solution providing the signature Marpac white noise audio with the soothing, ambient sounds of rushing air, without the disturbance of actual moving air. Once you've selected the right volume, you twist the machine to "fine-tune" the tone of your white noise to select a high or low pitch or tone that works for you.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Sleep noise machines help millions of men, women, and children fall asleep every night. Whether you want to mask annoying sounds from outdoors, create a soothing soundscape to drift off, or make a wall of white noise to protect your little one's precious sleep, we've got a solution that can help. If you only struggle to sleep when you're away from home, consider an affordable portable option like the MyBaby Soundspa On-The-Go (opens in new tab). It's a simple battery-powered option that's perfect for travel.
Both white noise and nature sounds are great for falling asleep, but with the addition of city noises and more, the Sound+Sleep (opens in new tab) is our favorite. While others may have their own unique sounds, the number of choices in the Sound+Sleep are too great to pass up.
Amy-Mae has been writing about consumer technology since before the iPhone was even a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. She started out in magazine publishing with the UK lads' mag 'Boy's Toys' then moved online with startup Pocket-lint.com as the first full-time member of staff, helping grow the site to one of the UK's largest gadget sites. Amy-Mae then moved to Mashable when it only had a staff of around 10 people. After working her way up to a senior role there, Amy-Mae left in 2014 to have her daughter. Since then Amy-Mae has continued to contribute to Mashable and The Daily Dot, keeping up-to-date with the latest consumer technology and social media trends. For iMore.com, Amy-Mae gets to her explore her love of home cooking, concentrating on all things kitchen tech.
