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‘Pink noise’ may be the secret to improving your sleep and memory

Step aside, 'white noise.' There's a new sound in town.

CLEVELAND -- Deep sleep is critical to maintaining a robust memory, but both decline with age. A small new study suggests that one easy way for older adults to get deeper sleep is to listen to a certain soothing sound called “pink noise.”

Pink noise is a mix of high and low frequencies that sounds more balanced and natural than its better-known cousin, “white noise.”

Dr. Nancy Foldvary, Director of Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center, tells us it may sound strange, but previous studies have found that playing so-called pink noise during sleep improves the memory.

Older people tend to get less slow-wave sleep and are at greater risk for memory impairment.

Dr. Foldvary says the average adult should be getting an average of seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

The new study shows that after analyzing everyone’s sleep waves, the team found that people’s slow-wave oscillations increased on the nights soothed by pink noise.

Whether or not pink noise works for you, it's always important to examine your sleep schedule and make sure you're getting enough rest.

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