White noise machines - those little desktop gadgets that play pure white noise, or some mix of white noise and other soothing sounds like rain - have become a lot more popular over the past few years. Whether they're planted in a doctor's office to enhance patient privacy or parked on your bedside table for a little nighttime noise-relief, white noise machines can improve our lives in meaningful ways. But carrying a sound generating machine around is impractical; even in the always-plugged-in era, who has time to stop to charge their white noise machine?
In-ear white noise generators were the clear solution. The same size and shape of your normal set of earbud-style earphones, you can almost think of these tiny sound machines like a set of white noise ear plugs. Just put them in your ears and turn them on to get rid of noise. As quickly as that, the noisy world fades away, and you're in your own personal, private bubble of silence.
The Power of Personal Noise
If you sleep with a snoring partner or live with tinnitus (that is, the persistent hissing or ringing in one or both ears), you may already have a good idea how powerful this in-ear white noise can be. Because these little electronic earpieces play a masking noise directly into your eardrums, they wash out all other sound until all your brain "hears" is that sweet, blissful nothing. Too, many of them use memory foam eartips to keep almost all the external noise out of your ear canals anyway, stacking up noise masking on top of the noise blocking (while also incidentally cushioning the plugs comfortably in place in your ears, too).
If you're trying to study, or concentrate on work at a busy office, or sleep near a busy street, a little white noise can be seriously paradigm-shifting. And not only are the in-ear generators easily portable, but you also never have to worry about bothering your co-workers (or roommate, or significant other). You can get a break whenever you need it, no apologies or explanations required.
In-Ear Generators vs White Noise Apps
Of course, you don't have to go with a specialized device to enjoy the perks of white noise delivered straight into your ear canals. With a set of earbud-style headphones and a white noise app - several of which are free and can produce respectable sound quality - you can get a similar effect. But in-ear white noise machines do have a couple of pros that regular headphones can't match: they're wireless, so they can't get tangled up; the white noise they output is full and seamless, with no ads or gaps; and they don't require you to keep a media streaming device with you at all times. If you need a personal white noise bubble for sleeping, especially if you need it every night, in-ear white noise is a better solution; the same applies if you're using the sound to help cope with tinnitus. If you're dealing with a little occasional irritating noise, an app is probably enough for you. But if noise is wrecking your sleep, sanity, or relationships... it may be time to step up to dedicated in-ear white noise.
In-Ear White Noise vs Noise Cancelling Earbuds
One last word to the wise: be careful not to get in-ear white noise generators mixed up with noise cancelling earbuds. Instead of masking external noise with a constant stream of uniform sound, noise cancelling earbuds play an ever-changing audio signal that is the inverse of the sound waves around you, which cancels out the vibrations so that very little sound at all remains to enter your ears. By contrast, white noise increases the amount of sound reaching your ears, but eliminates any useful information your brain can absorb from the sound, causing your brain to begin to ignore it completely. They're two nearly opposite approaches to trying to achieve the same goal: a little peace and quiet.
Both of these types of devices can help you get better control over your auditory environment, but because they're so different, sometimes one is much better-suited to a particular situation than the other. For instance, noise cancelling earbuds and in-ear white noise are about equally effective for sleeping with snoring... but when it comes to dealing with tinnitus, the constant sound signal from in-ear white noise can be extremely helpful, while the quiet created by noise-cancelling earbuds could actually make the ringing in your ears worse! Be sure to get the in-ear device that works correctly for your specific needs.
Want to hear more?
If you're interested in learning more, I recommend taking a look at our In-Ear White Noise Generators, where we are proud to offer two carefully-selected, highly specialized in-ear noise machines: one tailored specifically for sleeping with snoring or other disturbing noise, and one designed to perform especially well for tinnitus masking.
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore
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