# Tinnitus and white noise: how people use sound at night Updated 14 November 2026 · By the Sostina team · General information, not medical advice Many people with tinnitus play steady background sound, such as white, pink or brown noise, to make the ringing less noticeable in a quiet bedroom. This is a form of sound therapy. It is not a cure, and the evidence that it reduces tinnitus itself is limited, but some people find it helps them relax and fall asleep. Keep the volume low, and see a doctor or audiologist about your tinnitus. **See a doctor or audiologist** if you have tinnitus regularly, if it is getting worse, bothering you or affecting your sleep. Get urgent help if it beats in time with your pulse, and emergency help if it started after a head injury. [More on when to get help](https://sostina.app/guides/tinnitus-and-white-noise/#see-a-doctor). ## What tinnitus is The NHS describes tinnitus as “hearing noises that do not come from an outside source”. People describe ringing, buzzing, hissing or humming. It is common: the US National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says surveys estimate that **10 to 25% of adults** have it. NIDCD also says that “currently, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways to reduce symptoms.” Background sound is one of those ways. ## Why tinnitus can feel louder at night During the day, everyday sound partly covers tinnitus. In a quiet bedroom there is little else to hear, so the tinnitus can stand out just as you are trying to fall asleep. The NHS advice for coping with tinnitus includes: “do not have total silence – listening to soft music or sounds (called sound therapy) may distract you from the tinnitus”. ## How white, pink and brown noise are used Sound therapy uses outside sound to change how much you notice tinnitus. NIDCD notes that “tabletop or smartphone sound generators are typically used as an aid for relaxation or sleep” and that sound therapy “may also work by masking the tinnitus sounds”. Clinics also use wearable sound generators and hearing aids, which are fitted by a professional. The evidence is modest. A 2018 Cochrane review of sound therapy found the quality of evidence was low, and that a sound generator “might result in little or no difference in tinnitus symptom severity” compared with hearing aids. So think of noise as a comfort tool for the night, not a treatment. Noise colours people try for tinnitus at night: | Noise | Sounds like | Why some people choose it | | --- | --- | --- | | White | An even hiss, like a detuned radio | Covers high-pitched ringing well, but some find it too bright | | Pink | Steady rain | Softer at the top than white, so it is easier to listen to for hours | | Brown | A distant waterfall, a low rumble | Low and warm, with no hiss | | Fan | A fan running across the room | A familiar, steady sound many people already sleep with | There is no single best colour. Many people prefer a sound that sits near the pitch of their tinnitus, or a softer one like pink or brown. Try each for a few nights. The [brown noise vs white noise comparison](https://sostina.app/#brown-vs-white) explains the differences. ## Keep the volume gentle Louder is not better. Some sound therapy approaches aim for a level a little below your tinnitus, so you can still hear both; an audiologist can tell you what suits you. For hearing safety, the World Health Organization says adults can safely listen to **80 dB for up to 40 hours a week**, and suggests keeping device volume at no more than 60% of maximum. A sound for sleep should sit well below that. - Start quiet and raise the volume one step at a time. - Put the phone on a bedside table, not under your pillow or next to your ear. - Be careful with earbuds and sleep headphones. Leave Sostina’s Boost off for this. ## Keeping sound on all night on Android If noise helps you, it helps most when it doesn’t cut out at 3 a.m. and leave you in silence with the ringing. Many Android phones close apps overnight to save battery. Sostina, a free white noise app for Android, is built for this use: - **It keeps playing.** It runs as a foreground media service and has one setting to stop Android from putting it to sleep. [Why it doesn’t stop](https://sostina.app/#never-stops). - **It never loops.** White, Pink, Brown and Fan noise are generated live, so there is no repeating seam to notice. [Hear the four noises](https://sostina.app/#noises). - **It stays quiet.** Persist sets Do Not Disturb to alarms only for the night, so notifications don’t wake you. [How Persist works](https://sostina.app/#persist). - **It works offline** and is locked with one press, so nothing changes by accident. Sostina is not a medical device and does not treat tinnitus. It just plays a steady sound for as long as you want it. [Download Sostina for Android](https://sostina.app/#download) ## When to see a doctor or audiologist The NHS says to see a GP if: - you have tinnitus regularly or constantly - your tinnitus is getting worse - your tinnitus is bothering you - it’s affecting your sleep or concentration Ask for an **urgent** appointment if your tinnitus beats in time with your pulse. Go to emergency care if you have tinnitus after a head injury. Outside the UK, see your family doctor, an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist or an audiologist. They can look for a cause and suggest options such as hearing aids, sound therapy or talking therapies. ## Questions ### Does white noise cure tinnitus? No. There is currently no cure for tinnitus. Background sound can make tinnitus less noticeable while it plays, which some people find helps them relax and fall asleep. The evidence that sound generators reduce tinnitus itself is limited. ### Which is better for tinnitus: white, pink or brown noise? There is no single best colour. Many people find a sound near the pitch of their tinnitus, or a softer one like pink or brown, more comfortable than bright white noise. Try each at a low level for a few nights. ### How loud should the noise be with tinnitus? Low. Some sound therapy approaches aim a little below the level of your tinnitus, so you still hear both, rather than drowning it out. An audiologist can tell you what suits you. ### Should I play noise all night or only to fall asleep? Both are common. If you wake up and notice your tinnitus in silence, a sound that keeps playing all night can help. Keep it quiet and the phone away from your head. ### When should I see a doctor about tinnitus? The NHS says to see a GP if you have tinnitus regularly or constantly, if it is getting worse, bothering you or affecting your sleep or concentration. Ask for an urgent appointment if it beats in time with your pulse, and go to emergency care if it started after a head injury. ## Sources - [Tinnitus](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/), NHS (UK). Checked 14 November 2026. - [Tinnitus](https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/tinnitus), National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD, US). Checked 14 November 2026. - [Sound therapy (using amplification devices or sound generators) for tinnitus (2018)](https://www.cochrane.org/CD013094/ENT_sound-therapy-using-amplification-devices-andor-sound-generators-treatment-chronic-tinnitus), Cochrane. Checked 14 November 2026. - [Deafness and hearing loss: safe listening](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/deafness-and-hearing-loss-safe-listening), World Health Organization. Checked 14 November 2026.