This means that a person is less likely to hear background sounds over the sound of the white noise.īackground sounds that may disturb a person’s sleep include: Research suggests that using filtered white noise may improve a person’s sleep quality by raising the hearing threshold. White noise apps work by covering up annoying noises with a constant peaceful sound.Īround the world, insomnia symptoms affect around 35% of the population. White noise is a type of sound masking that uses a fixed frequency and tone equally distributed over the whole hearing range. Share on Pinterest Popular white noise apps include sounds from falling rain, the forest, and household appliances.