Noisy neighbours keeping you awake? I tried Amazon's top-rated white noise machine to drown mine out — and it actually works

Tom's Guide

8 hours ago

Is it just me, or do nights become a lot noisier in the summer?
Neighbors hosting barbecues into the early hours of the morning, people out and about during lighter evenings, insects chirping — all these can provide an unwelcome nighttime soundtrack when you're trying to get some sleep.
I live in a city apartment with no air conditioning, so I need my bedroom window wide open to avoid overheating. However, my apartment is located in a tourist-magnet city, so an open window can invite unwanted street noise from vacationers into my home and make it harder to fall asleep at night.
That's why I was eager to test a highly-rated white noise machine. You can buy the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine for $59.95 on Amazon and the bestseller promises to drown out distraction with 22 sleep-inducing sounds.
After testing the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine for a week, I can now open my window at night without worrying about the noise — here's why.
The LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine is a sleep sound machine that offers 22 different noises separated into three categories: ocean sounds, white noise, or fan.
As well as drowning out any distracting sleep-disturbing sounds, this sound machine is designed to provide a soothing sound to help people sleep (good news for 38% of Americans can't sleep in silence), unwind, or focus.
Like most sound machines, you simply place the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine near your bed and switch it on. It's a corded USB-design, so you'll need an electrical outlet nearby.
LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine: $59.95 at AmazonAvailable in white, the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine is a small sound machine that can play 22 different sounds (fan sounds, ocean sounds, or white noise) at different volumes. It's powered by USB, and comes with an AC/DC adapter and sockets. There's also a headphone jack for you to listen to sounds through your pillow speaker or headphones. It comes with a 30-day return policy when purchased from Amazon, where customers have given it an overall rating of 4.5 stars (4,400+ ratings).
Going screen-free before bed and banishing your phone from your bedroom for better sleep can prevent sleep-postponing activities such as doom scrolling and stops you from potentially activating your body's stress response.
However, if listening to sounds such as ocean waves or pink noise helps you sleep, then you may have found that you need your phone to play these noises.
Luckily, the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine has an intuitive design with a simple screen-free control panel featuring buttons for each sound, two volume buttons, a timer button and an on/off button.
The machine comes with easy-to-follow instructions which tells you how to select your preferred sound, adjust the volume, and set it on timer.
There's no DIY involved here, as the white noise machine comes fully assembled. The unboxing process was simple, with the box containing the essentials: a machine and a cord (plus an AC/DC adapter and sockets as extras).
There's also a simple instruction booklet which tells you how to use the machine and goes over any troubleshooting issues.
To get it started, I simply plugged the machine in and pressed the on switch. As soon as it's turned on, the first setting (brown noise) begins to play, and you can jump through each noise by pressing the pitch button until you land on the one you like (see the below image for how you control the fan sounds).
In the booklet, there's a page which gives you the lowdown on the types of color noises, ocean and fan sounds it can play:
Nope, I'd never heard of cinnamon noise either.
While it may read like a color chart for nail polish shades, this is a list of the sounds the machine makes that have been color-coded based on their frequency (pitch is essentially how we perceive frequency).
Brown noise is low frequency, said to be deep and soothing, and has been compared to strong winds or waterfalls. It can assist your transition to REM sleep, according to research.
Pink noise, meanwhile, has a slightly higher pitch than brown, but it's still soft and relaxing and can be helpful for sleep and studying. It's been compared to rustling leaves or rain with a steady rhythm. Research shows that it can slow brain waves to improve sleep.
Then you have white noise, which is the classic (and generally best known) sleep sound that is higher frequency than pink and brown and is often compared to the sound of TV static. Research has shown that it can help with sleep disturbance due to noisy environments.
I found that the noises between brown and pink provided the deep, soothing sound for sleep that suited me, so I usually slept with Tan, Amber, or Cream noise playing. Whiter noise was too high-pitched for me.
There are also ocean sounds (ocean or surf) which sound like crashing waves, while the fan sounds mimic the whirring of different fans.
With so many options (22) to choose from, you will definitely find the sound that's right for your sleep or relaxation. Plus, you can leave it on all night or set it on a timer so it can gently switch off while you sleep.
Honestly, I prefer to sleep in complete silence and have never needed sound effects to help me drift off. But silence isn't always an option.
One night, with my window wide open to let the cooler night air into my stuffy bedroom, I could hear plenty of tourists in the street below, which distracted me from my sleep.
However, putting on an Amber noise (though it's worth noting that pink and white noise are also considered good for noise-blocking) and turning up the volume completely drowned out the ruckus.
When I first unboxed the LectroFan EVO White Noise Machine, I was shocked by how small it is.
Measuring at just 4.7 x 4.7 x 3.3 inches, it barely took up any room on my nightstand and I could easily carry the machine in my hand luggage during overnight trips thanks to its compact, lightweight build.