It seems like the older we get, the harder it is to fall asleep and wake up feeling refreshed.
Most people have found support in drifting off through background soundscapes that provide the perfect soundtrack to their slumber. With silence being a playground for our minds to wander into the endlessness of the night, pressing play to the sound of rain, a quiet storm, or the soothing static of white noise can be just enough noise to settle us into a deep, calming sleep.
Incorporating calming sounds like raindrops, high frequency, or gentle melodies into your sleep routine can guide you into a state of relaxation that can give scrolling on your phone a run for its money. By listening to these sounds before sleep, you can unwind from the stresses of the day and create a peaceful environment that’ll prep your mind and body for the best night’s rest.
How to Find the Right Sleep Sounds for You
But with so many sounds out there to choose from, which one is right for you? Each sound serves a different purpose but will land you into the slumber of your dreams, so to help you get there, we’ve put together a list of the best sleep sounds to lull you to sleep.
White Noise:
White noise is a soundscape you might be most familiar with. The sound contains all frequencies within the range of human hearing in equal amounts. It is often described as a "humming" sound that has a consistent and uniform quality — creating a steady and continuous sound that effectively masks other sounds in the environment. It’s pretty similar to what babies hear in the womb, which adds to its soothing and relaxing sound frequency.
Pink Noise:
Pink noise similarities to white noise, however, white noise has equal energy across all frequencies within the range of human hearing, while pink noise has equal energy per octave. Meaning it comes across with more “deep" or "full" sound that listeners may find soothing. Perfect for reaching deeper levels of sleep and memory consolidation.
Water Sounds:
When it comes to relaxation, what’s more soothing than the sounds of water? The beauty in listening to water sounds to fall asleep is that you have so many types of environments and bodies of water to choose from. Maybe you enjoy the sounds of ocean waves beating against the shore or streams of water slowing down a river bank. These soothing sounds mimic the gentle and rhythmic sounds of your favorite outside environments for a calming and peaceful auditory experience, perfect for reaching your desired depth of rest.
Brown Noise:
With brown noise, you may find it to be helpful if you find yourself wound up right before bed. This type of sound has a greater intensity of lower frequencies compared to higher frequencies, resulting in a rumbling or thunder-like sound. These lower frequencies in brown noise tend to dominate, creating a deep and resonant sound that some people find comforting and relaxing. And is great for sound masking, relaxation, and improved focus.
Green Noise:
While this type of sound may be unfamiliar to you, it just might become your new go-to for sleep. Green noise is an alternative to white noise that focuses its intensity within a frequency range of approximately 500 Hz while maintaining equal energy per octave. This creates a “humming” sound that’s gentler on the ears, similar to the sound of riding on an airplane; promoting relaxation and a state of calm.
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Skylar sees things differently. At the time, she was shooting content on her iPhone. Temi came into the picture with a new perspective, an understanding of tech, and, eventually, a camera. “He doesn't give himself enough credit,” Skylar says. “He wasn't just my tripod. He wasn't just standing behind the camera and going ‘click.’ He was giving advice. He was giving me insight to how I could look at things from a different perspective. And I was like, 'Oh, he’s an artist.' I think it was maybe a heartbeat of that kind of energy of like, ‘Baby, can you take this picture?’ And it turned so quickly into, we're partners. We can work together in a way where we're advancing each other's creative thinking.”
The pair often says they’re two sides of the same coin. Skylar is an Aquarius. She attended art school, paints, and loves poetry. She’s more than happy to let the couple’s management firm and agency, Kensington Grey, handle their admin work. And, she loves to sleep in. Temi, on the other hand, wakes up early. He’s a Virgo. He loves a to-do list and regularly checks in on the couple’s brand partnerships spreadsheet to make sure everything is on track.
Because his storytelling was steeped in his love of technology, he didn’t always think of himself as a creative person. “Where I [am] the dreamer who wants to pluck things out of the sky and spend all day with my head in the clouds, Temi [is] so good at grounding me and helping me figure out how to make things make sense on paper. We just work together in such a complimentary way,” Skylar says.
It’s been more than six years since Brooklyn-based couple Temi and Skylar started dating, and nearly four since they cemented their working relationship. On TikTok and Instagram, the couple’s travel, fashion, and home content regularly rack up hundreds of thousands of views. They’ve worked with brands such as Coach, Aesop, Away, and Liquid IV, bringing their vibrant perspectives to every campaign they execute. Still, nearly two years since both Temi and Skylar committed to full-time content creation and creative directing, the couple says their romantic connection remains their priority.
“We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting,” Skylar says.
Working from home can make it hard to separate work from personal life for any entrepreneur. It can be even more challenging when your business partner is also your lover. Temi and Skylar had already used couples therapy as a tool to help them effectively communicate with one another. When they ran into challenges while working together, their therapist helped them set physical boundaries to help combat the issues.
"We told each other we would much rather go back to full-time jobs and preserve our relationship than to be full-time freelancers, barely getting a night's rest [and] barely kissing each other because we're so busy shooting."
“It actually took us doing very specific physical things to create boundaries between work and play in our relationship,” Skylar says. “So, for instance, we will only have conversations about work when we're out of bed or we're at the table or in the office. Initially, when we started, we had to light a candle to say that, 'Okay, this is a space where we're connecting, we’re not talking about work.' We needed really hard boundaries at the top. And then it became a little bit more organic.”
The boundaries have been crucial to implement, especially because the couple began working together so naturally. When the pair first met, Skylar was NY-based a social strategist for BuzzFeed and was using content creation to drive business to her lingerie company. She was shooting her own content. Temi was working for Microsoft in D.C. He’d recently traded in his DJing equipment for a camera. “I've always loved taking pictures,” he says. “Even when I was a kid, my African mother would wake me up at 3:00 a.m. [during a] party, and be like, 'Come take the family picture.'”
Growing up, Temi says he watched his parents support each other and be the true definition of partners. He knew he wanted the same for his own relationship. But, the couple also wanted to make sure they were being financially responsible. The pair didn’t quit their traditional jobs until they’d saved up two years' worth of their cost of living. And, Temi received his Master of Business Administration from New York University with the knowledge that it could either help him advance in his corporate career or be applicable to his business with Skylar.
Temi and SkylarCj Hart @hartbreakToday, they say their working relationship is more of a “quiet dance.” They still implement some of the boundaries they learned in therapy, but they also lean into their natural strengths and deep love for one another. When we speak, Temi has planned a date for the couple to see Princess Mononoke in 4K IMAX and added it to their Notion so they can factor it into their busy schedules. “I fully plan to date for the rest of my life,” he says.
Skylar says the couple doesn’t just wait for date nights to check in with one another, though. This often happens in the mornings, after Temi has made her peppermint tea and poured himself a cup of coffee. When they ask each other how they slept, she says, it’s not just a “nicety.” It’s a genuine question meant to foster connection.
“A lot of it happens during the day in the midst of work. We'll stop and we'll hug. Or we’ll slow dance in the kitchen,” she says. “Sometimes it's hard to set a whole date night when you have 7,000 things going on. So, we must grasp these moments and check in when we can. And I think it's become so organic to us that I actually didn't even realize how often we do it. But all day long, we're like, 'Are you good? I felt like your energy shifted,' because we're best friends, we just know. We just feel it happen.”
What’s better than being in love? Building wealth while doing it. Watch Making Cents here for real stories of couples who make money moves together.
Featured image by Cj Hart @hartbreak