7 Things Healthy People Do Before Bed

The dripping faucet. The tick of a clock. All subtle sounds that can leave you wide-eyed and frustrated. You've probably tried white noise to block out sounds, but pink noise may be better. Unlike white noise (ambient sounds over a range of frequencies), pink noise is characterized by sounds that are a consistent, lower frequency. Imagine the hum of a fan or steady rain. (Relaxed yet?) Listening to pink noise during the night helped regulate brain waves so people stayed in the restful phase of sleep longer, according to a 2012 Chinese study. In fact, 75 percent of participants said they felt pink noise had a positive effect on their sleep. Even better? Subsequent research showed that pink noise can boost the brain’s memory center.