SleepScore Labs—a joint venture between ResMed, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Pegasus Capital Advisors LP—conducted a validation study to investigate the use of sound therapy Sound+Sleep SE to achieve a better night’s sleep. Following regular use of the Sound+Sleep SE sound machine, study participants reported improved overall perceived sleep quality. Reported benefits included less time to fall asleep, less time spent awake during the night, and enhanced feelings of relaxation and restfulness. The study has not been published.

Created by Adaptive Sound Technologies Inc (ASTI), Sound+Sleep SE offers sound profiles engineered to promote relaxation, renewal, and deeper sleep. Users can choose from white, pink, or brown noise programs as well as ocean, rain, and other natural sound compositions to block indoor and outdoor noises that can make it difficult to fall or stay asleep. Sound+Sleep SE also contains patented adaptive sound technology, which uses a built-in microphone to listen to the user’s environment and dynamically adjust the volume based on ambient noise levels.

Roy Raymann, PhD, vice president, sleep science and scientific affairs at SleepScore Labs, says in a release, “Noises at night can have significant impacts on your sleep. Peak noises and unknown sounds might wake you up and make your night restless rather than restorative. We tested the Sound+Sleep SE to determine if the device could contribute to a better night’s sleep for people with mild sleep issues. We found that our Sound+Sleep SE users reported sleeping better and feeling more rested during the day. These results confirm earlier findings that sound masking can positively affect sleep, and that Sound+Sleep SE delivers this benefit.”

To test the potential benefits of Sound+Sleep SE, participants turned the sound machine on at night and tracked their sleep for two consecutive weeks using both SleepScore technology by ResMed and self-reports. Their sleep during this time period was compared to a previous two week period without using the sound machine. All participants had historically experienced difficulty falling asleep or trouble staying asleep through the night. After analyzing 725 total nights, SleepScore Labs found statistically significant improvements in many aspects of users’ perceived sleep. During the nights that participants used Sound+Sleep SE at home they reported the following benefits:

  • Falling asleep faster: 30% decrease in minutes to fall asleep
  • Less time awake: 76% increase in ability to sleep through the night without waking up
  • Better sleep quality: 37% increase in overall sleep quality
  • Feeling more rested: 46% increase in feeling rested upon waking in the morning

“It is estimated that one billion people worldwide suffer from sleep disorders. In the US alone sleep related issues cost the economy over $63 billion dollars per year,” says Sam Nicolino, president and CEO of ASTI. “The findings of the SleepScore Labs study are a testament to the value of our sleep sound innovations. The study results back up over a decade of empirical evidence from users of our top-rated sound machines, and similar positive results should be expected from ASTI’s entire product family.”

Participants also reported on user experience aspects of the sound machine. The study found that 100% of users said the product was easy to use, and 80% thought it had good sound quality. The overwhelming majority of users said that they would recommend Sound+Sleep SE to their close friends and family and 89% said they would plan to continue to use Sound+Sleep SE following the completion of the study.

“I was very happy to review the results of this study,” says Rafael Pelayo, MD, a clinical professor at Stanford University and an adviser to ASTI. “This independent study confirms the clinical impression that people with trouble sleeping may perceive an improvement in their sleep using a quality white noise machine. The study showed that the Sound+Sleep SE is another option to help people feel like they are getting better sleep, especially if they are trying to sleep in noisy environments or in environments with variably interruptive noise levels.”