There are plenty of sleep studies and scientific data about white noise machines and sleep, and of course you can go look those up. My own take on using a sound therapy system is purely anecdotal: I am an extremely light sleeper and travel frequently; until I got a Sound + Sleep MINI, I didn’t sleep well in hotels. I would often need to take sleep medication to avoid being woken multiple times per night, unable to get back to sleep easily. Now, I use my Sound + Sleep MINI every single night, at home or away, and it’s improved my sleep habits immensely.
So what exactly is a ‘sound therapy system’?
It’s a machine that runs continuous ambient sound in the background as you sleep or concentrate (such as the ‘white noise’ of a vacuum cleaner), allowing you to block out external noise in unfamiliar environments (or at home) for a solid night’s sleep.
There are 12 ‘sound stories’ on the Sound + Sleep MINI, each with three variations. For instance, the ‘ocean’ sound story will have three variations of ocean sounds. I personally like the ‘fan’ story (wow, that sounds boring!) which has three types of fan sounds from house to industrial. So in total, you get 48 sounds to choose from. Yes, it seems complicated at first, and yes, you get a full chart of sleep story options along with your unit.
Extras on the Sleep + Sound MINI:
The Sound + Sleep MINI uses naturally recorded, high definition sounds that do not loop. You can run the machine from AC, USB, or battery power, which makes it very versatile for travel days. You can also play music on it from your phone or laptop, with an included input jack. I’ve never felt the need for this feature, but it’s there if you want it.
There’s also a feature called Adaptive Sound, which I personally love. When you turn this on, the Sleep + Sound MINI will adapt its volume to your environment. So if a car drives by outside your window, the sound of your machine will increase momentarily. It will go back down to normal after the external noise passes. This works great when in hotel rooms when noisy people walk down the hallway past your room.
There’s a sleep timer, so you can time your machine to turn itself off after 30, 60, or 90 minutes, or you can leave it on all night. You can also listen via a headphone jack for an audio line, though I wish there was a bluetooth connection so I could use my cordless earbuds when I’m sharing a hotel room with others.
The Sound + Sleep MINI travels well in its own zippered, hard-shell case. It’s about half the size of a shoebox. It’s heavy and bulky enough that I’m forced to leave it at home when I’m packing really light (think carry-on only for a weekend trip), but I bring it along for all road trips and longer travels.
UPDATE: ASTI also makes the ‘LectroFan, a smaller, more affordable white noise and fan sound machine. Beyond a doubt, this is the machine I will be packing for travel days. The ‘LectroFan is 4x2x4 and only 1.2 pounds, but still offers 20 sounds (10 fan sounds and 10 white – brown sounds). If you must have ocean or brook type sounds to sleep, this isn’t for you, but if like me, you prefer the fan or white noise sounds, pick it up! It’s only $49 at Amazon.
Pick it up for $79.95 in white/silver or black at Sound of Sleep or Amazon (for the same price).