What is Brown Noise, and can it Help those with ADHD?

If you are someone that has ADHD, your brain will likely have a swarm of suddenly urgent thoughts and tasks pop into it on a continuous loop. For those that think they may have ADHD or know that they don’t, imagine sitting down to work at your laptop when all of a sudden you remembered you need to clean the bathroom, de-flea the cat, check what actor played that character in the show you watched last night and find out how long it will take you to drive to a potential holiday destination you haven’t mentioned to anyone yet. 

Thoughts like these pop up continuously, along with the feeling of needing to do them all right away and get them out of the way, so you can concentrate on the rest of your work day. The likelihood is that these thoughts don’t stop, you get distracted by them continuously and by the end of the day, you’ve barely done any work, or any of the countless tasks that distracted you from what you should have been doing in the first place. 

There are a few types of broadband noise that have become popular among those with ADHD, white noise, pink noise, and brown noise. Brown noise is becoming increasingly popular of late, with countless TikTok testimonies to its alleged mind-quietening powers but with no definite research on its ability to help focus, we thought we would do a little research ourselves into what it is and how it could potentially help those with ADHD. 

What is Brown Noise?

There are different colours of noise which refer to varying bandwidths of frequencies which are loosely named after the colours of light. Brown noise gets its name from a type of random movement it produces called Brownian motion. Brown noise is composed of many lower, rumbling frequencies, creating low-pitched bass sounds similar to a jet plane or rumbling thunder.

For many people, it is favourable to white noise, which is comprised of higher frequency, higher pitched sounds like that of television static, which can be quite irritating to some with ADHD. Another popular broadband sound is pink noise, which falls somewhere in the middle and is composed of a mix of frequencies, with the lower frequency slightly more prominent. 

How can Brown Noise help those with ADHD?

Brown noise has been hugely popular among those with ADHD due to its positive effects of helping people focus, relax and sleep. People with ADHD appear to have a lower volume of dopamine, the chemical that helps to regulate focus and because of this, neuron signals can appear to explode like fireworks in all directions, creating a noisy head and a continuous conveyor belt of thoughts. It is thought that listening to brown noise can somehow mimic the effects of dopamine, helping the brain to harness the neurons, focus attention, and quiet noisy thoughts.

However, there are medical professionals that believe brown noise acts only as an auditory masking technique, enabling people to drown out other distracting noises but there is some evidence to suggest that the effects go beyond just this. Studies carried out by Göran Söderlund, a researcher at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, showed that people with ADHD performed better on memory and language tasks when they listened to white noise. There were 15 studies carried out and although only small and not targeted to brown noise specifically, he believes that white and brown noise hold promise as tools to help people with ADHD.

Can using Brown Noise be detrimental to an ADHD diagnosis or treatment?

Although there are some extremely positive effects available to witness over the likes of social media, I can also attest to the effectiveness of using Brown Noise. As someone that hasn’t received an ADHD diagnosis, I can tell I have some of the traits of a person with ADHD, and the ability to focus my attention and drown out unnecessary thoughts is quite difficult for me. However, I used brown noise to write this entire article and found that my brain was noticeably calmer, and I am pretty sure that fewer thoughts have passed through my head in the time it has taken me to research and write this piece.

It is always possible to experience a placebo effect but as someone who finds it hard to concentrate, I am willing to take whatever works. However, if overused, there is a chance that your brain may become too used to that type of stimulation and the effects could gradually wear off, that’s why something like Brown Noise should be used as a tool and not the solution. 

It is possible that social media can oversimplify the effectiveness of sound interventions, so your first port of call should always be seeking an ADHD assessment and diagnosis, whether this be through the NHS or privately. The NHS can have long waiting lists and getting the treatment you need can take months, but at Beyond, our specialist ADHD psychiatrists can guide you through from initial assessment to diagnosis and onto a personalised treatment plan.

How can I find and use Brown Noise?

If you have Spotify, there are several Brown Noise tracks and playlists available, and YouTube offers just the same. It is advisable to choose a long track over a playlist, however, as the playlist can stop and start as it moves through tracks which can be a cause of distraction for some. Opting for a 3-hour track will provide you with the low, rumbling sounds you need to focus. There are also apps you can download which provide white, pink, and brown noise, and sound machines you can find in stores and online that provide the same broadband sound but without the distraction of using your phone.  

Contact a specialist ADHD clinic if you think you could have ADHD

Whilst Brown Noise may help with your concentration for short bursts of time, it isn’t advisable to rely on tools like these on a regular basis. Although it is possible that Brown Noise can also work for people that don’t have ADHD, if you have had thoughts in the past about this possibility and are using Brown Noise as a coping mechanism, then chances are that gaining an assessment and diagnosis from a specialist ADHD clinic will help. 

If you are being affected by what you believe to be ADHD symptoms and are struggling with a lack of focus, disturbed sleep, the inability to switch off or daily life tasks in general, gaining a professional ADHD assessment and diagnosis from a specialist ADHD clinic like Beyond can help. We offer a comprehensive, multi-professional assessment for adults and children and our diagnostic team has specialist experience in assessing and supporting individuals with ADHD, helping them to live healthier and happier lives. 

If you would like to speak to Beyond Clinic’s friendly team about obtaining an ADHD assessment or about ADHD treatment plans, you can get in touch here.