I Had Trouble Sleeping Through the Night Until I Discovered This White Noise Machine

published Aug 17, 2021
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I have a complicated relationship with sleep. I don’t consider myself a good sleeper at all. I wake up at odd hours, find it nearly impossible to sleep late (even during the weekend), and I don’t know the meaning of a decent nap. If I take a nap, you might as well count me out for the rest of the day. There’s no balance whatsoever. Lately, my biggest concern has been sleeping through the night, since there are many days when I don’t wake up feeling rested. I’ve tried leaving the TV on until it turns off with a timer, making music playlists, and even thinking about imaginary scenarios until I eventually fall asleep. Unfortunately, none of it has been consistent. It was beyond time for me to experiment with something new (at least, new to me). Given the opportunity to try the White Noise Machine from Tuft & Needle + Snooz, I had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The Snooz White Noise Machine is extremely easy to set up right out of the box. There’s no fussing with extra cords or assembly. It’s a single item with one power cord that runs from the base of the machine to the wall. I was pleasantly surprised at how soft to the touch the white noise machine is, thanks to the knit jacket that’s wrapped around it. The jacket adds a softness that encompasses both the feel and appearance of the device, so it really seems to belong in a bedroom or any space that’s meant to provide comfort. 

Once the white noise machine is plugged in, it’s ready to use right away. There’s no moving air inside, but it really sounds like a nice, smooth fan! The power button and volume control are on top of the machine, and a dial on the underside adjusts the tone (how light or heavy the hush of the white noise sounds). I’d suggest making adjustments to the tone ahead of downloading the T&N White Noise app for further personalization. The app was absolutely essential to configuring the device to my needs for a hands-free experience. Knowing I wouldn’t have to get out of bed to make any changes was a breath of fresh air. The app is also where you get to name your white noise machine, as well as calibrate it for an accurate reading from the device to the app, which takes roughly two minutes.

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The T&N White Noise app allows you to remotely power the Snooz on and off, control the volume and light, and program timers with a fade in/fade out effect. The timer feature is by far my favorite tool in the app and had the most impact on my sleeping habits. I currently have two programs for my device: one for the work week and one for the weekend. My weekday timer starts the white noise machine at 11:00 p.m. and shuts it off at 7:00 a.m., which is the same time my alarm goes off to start the work day. Initially, I had it set to shut down an hour earlier, but then I noticed I was waking up shortly after the machine would turn off. At first, I thought it was merely a coincidence. I usually wake up before my alarm anyway, and I hadn’t had the machine long enough for it to really make an impact. Oh, how I was mistaken…

I began testing different end times, and no matter what, I’d wake up within half an hour of the machine fading into silence. This might not be the case for everyone, but it was eye-opening for me. That knowledge helped me tailor my settings to ensure I was getting the most restful sleep possible. Even if I’m not dozing away by the time the machine starts up at 11:00 p.m., it’s still a calming sound that lulls me to dreamland. Without it, I would usually just close my eyes and wake up two hours later, close my eyes again, and repeat the inevitable nap cycle. The white noise from the Snooz has helped me sleep for much longer periods, and through the night a lot more often than I used to. 

I was really skeptical about using a white noise machine because I didn’t think it would work for me. Otherwise, I would have picked one up a while ago. Long gone are the days of relying on my TV sleep timer. As it turns out, there are more effective ways to get a good night’s sleep!