The use of white noise machines has proven very helpful for people who suffer from sleep problems. By blocking out sounds – also known as sound masking or masking noise – a white noise machine helps create an inner/outer dichotomy between your resting mind and the outside world. Once you get used to having white noise at night, it’s like a trigger that gets turned on in your brain that helps you fall asleep and get a good nights rest.

However, humans – well, we’re a creative bunch aren’t we? When it comes to white noise sound, this means we’re ready to out different applications for it and see what works. Here are 5 other reasons, beyond the main reason addressed in the opening paragraph – that people use white sound sound machines.

1. The White Noise Machine Office Hack
Offices are loud places. Sometimes, all that extra sound can put a damper on focusing on the task at hand. One manner of addressing this problem is to use an office white noise machine, which is another way of saying you just buy a normal white noise machine for the office!

2. The White Noise Machine Baby Helper
Babies and sleep. Wow, what a subject. I honestly can’t imagine how hard it must be to deal with a baby or infant of which is having sleep problems. A baby white noise machine was invented just for these kids. These sound machines for babies are designed to sit near their bed or cradle and do the same thing they do for adults – generate white noise and help the baby fall asleep. Awesome. (PS. Check out our review of the HoMedics SoundSpa SS-3000 Lullaby sound machine for babies.

3. The Travel White Noise Machine
Sleeping in hotels, airports, and airplanes is obviously not good for the spirit. Even if you get the best hotel with the best bed, it’s still not your bed! Add it all up, and you’ve got a ripe scenario for sleep problems. Enter the travel white noise machine. These units are compact, battery powered, solid, and equipped with external speakers as well as headphones. Travelers love them. If you travel, you will to. Take a look at our Travel White Noise Machine article for more info on portable sound machines!

While the best sounds machines from companies like Conair, HoMedics, Marpac, Sound Oasis, and Brookstone, are going to continue to get the most use from people who use them at home, it’s clear to see that the use of white noise has other applications and can be used in different situations where external, annoying, distracting sound would be much better serviced if it were replaced by a soothing sound machine.

Four years ago I received a white noise machine for Christmas. I’ve always maintained an active interest in such things as sleep meditation, sound machines, white noise, even more esoteric stuff such as binaural beats and brainwave entrainment. Therefore, I was pretty psyched to get a white noise machine as a gift. I actually had to ask myself, “Wait a minute, why don’t I already own one of these items?”

This was a Conair White Noise Machine. It’s not the most solid white noise generator, and it’s priced affordably compared to many other white noise devices out there on the market. It does the job though, for sure. It’s to the point now where I use it every single night to obscure my mind into la-la land and go to sleep quicker.

I’ve gotten so into the habit of just using my favorite setting, Ocean Waves, I forget that the Conair White Noise Machine also comes equipped with other sounds, such as:

• Tropic Forest
• Thunderstorm
• Summer Night (another one of my favorites)
• White Noise
• Heartbeat (this one is creepy and kind of lame)
• Songbirds
• Waterfall
• Running Stream (another great one)
• Rainfall (another great one)

So is it safe to say I like my Conair White Noise Machine? Absolutely – BUT, it is not without its faults. There are a few things I wish they’d improve on. For instance, the sound function or volume control on the device is huge and easy to move, but that’s the problem – it’s so entirely easy to move, that many times I suddenly crank up the volume when I’m simply trying to turn it up just a little or even reaching over to turn it down. The other complaint is that while I adore the sound settings for Ocean Waves, Summer Night, Running Stream, and Rainfall, I must admit that some of the other sounds can occasionally sound “tinny”. Maybe cheap is a more descriptive word. What this amounts to is that while there are 10 sounds on here, you’ll probably only use half of them because a few just don’t sound all that great.

But for the price – the unit delivers quite well and does offer about some really great white noise sounds to help you sleep. Be careful though! If you’re anything like me – a person with a lot of sleep problems, eish! – you could get a Conair white noise machine and quickly get hooked on it when you realize how helpful it is in guiding you to sleep.

Edit: The Conair sound machine I’m talking about in this review is sold under the model of SU1. This is the same one sold at Target, Kohls, Walmart, and all the over place pretty much as an “entry level” white noise machine.