Brown Noise: A Blanket for Your Brain
Why Silence is Sometimes Too Loud
🧠 The Problem: Sensory Gating
For many with ADHD, silence is distracting. In a quiet room, every tiny sound (a clock ticking, a car outside) spikes your attention. Your brain can't filter them out. This is a "leaky sensory gate."
You might try music, but lyrics are distracting. You start singing along instead of working.
🔬 The Science: Stochastic Resonance
Brown Noise (lower frequency than White Noise, sounds like a deep rumble or heavy rain) provides a "sound blanket."
It raises the auditory threshold. By filling your ears with a constant, non-distracting sound, the random spikes (car honk) don't stand out as much. It smooths out the sensory input, allowing your brain to relax into focus.
🛠️ The Protocol: Soundscaping
- Headphones On: Noise-canceling if possible.
- Select Sound:
- Brown Noise: Deep, rumbly. Best for deep focus and calming anxiety.
- Pink Noise: Balanced, like rain. Good for general work.
- White Noise: High pitched, static. Often too harsh for ADHD.
- Volume: Just loud enough to block external conversation, not so loud it hurts.
⚡ Pro Tips
- Binaural Beats: Some users find 40Hz (Gamma waves) binaural beats help with focus. Requires stereo headphones.
- Video Game Soundtracks: Designed to keep you engaged without distracting you. Try Skyrim (exploration) or Doom (high energy sprints).
- One Song on Repeat: Listening to the same song on loop can induce a trance state. The brain stops processing the song as "new information."
🎧 Create Your Soundscape
Our Soundscapes tool lets you mix Brown, Pink, and White noise to find your perfect focus frequency.