SynthesisJournal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine2022
Systematic review: auditory stimulation and sleep.
Synthesis in Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06531733 (Sleep and Wake Countermeasures for Artemis), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Sleep and Wake Countermeasures for Artemis: In-laboratory Study
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of acoustic stimulation in the treatment of insomnia.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Pooled it
- Auditory Biofeedback through Wind Instrument Training: A Breath-Controlled Acoustic Strategy for Modulating Anxiety and Sleep.Noise & healthPooled it
- Trial
- The effect of white noise on sleep quality and fatigue in community-dwelling older adults: a randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- Comparison of Intraoperative Noise Isolation and White Noise on Postoperative Sleep in Patients Undergoing Flexible Ureteroscopic Holmium: YAG Laser Lithotripsy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Trial
- Trial
- Using Biofeedback Nasal Breathing to Augment Relaxation Following Exposure to Mild Stress.Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback · 2026Article
- Bedtime Audiobook Listening Motives and Insomnia Status: Survey Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Modulation of Somatosensory Evoked Potentials During Music and Pink Noise Exposure.Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Protecting sleep in a noisy world.Sleep · 2026Article
- A critical role of affective content in the analgesic effect of virtual reality: a cross-sectional within-subject study.Lancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Brain dynamic audio stimulation for subjective sleep disturbances in healthcare professionals: a single-arm pilot feasibility study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Physical factor therapies for insomnia: a narrative review of mechanisms, clinical evidence, and phenotype-guided applications.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Review
- The impact of sound intervention on sleep quality and stress levels in college students: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Impact and efficacy of sound machine on sleep in hospitalized adults: A systematic review.Sleep medicine: X · 2025Review
- Multisensory Rhythmic Entrainment as a Mechanistic Framework for Modulating Prefrontal Network Stability in Focal Epilepsy.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Article
- Auditory discomfort and visual sensitivity.Vision research · 2025Article
- The neurobiology of altered states of consciousness induced by drumming and other rhythmic sound patterns.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2025Review
- User Experiences and Effects of Expert-Led YouTube Mind-Body Interventions on Insomniacs: A Survey Study.Journal of Korean medical science · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
STUDY
objectivesAuditory stimulation devices (white and pink noise) are used to mask sounds and facilitate relaxation and sleep; however, the effectiveness of this intervention is not well established. This systematic review examined the scientific literature for the effect of specific types of auditory stimulation on sleep outcomes in adults.
methodsThe PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement guided this review. Searches were conducted in 9 databases for intervention studies that could easily be employed in clinical practice. We excluded other types of auditory stimulation (music alone, binaural tones, and synchronization). Two reviewers screened abstracts and full-text articles for eligibility, with conflicts resolved by a third reviewer, and extracted data. Risk of bias was assessed with the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies.
resultsThirty-four studies reported results of 1,103 persons participating in 3 categories of interventions: white noise (18), pink noise (11), and 6 multiaudio (some combination of white, pink, music, or silence). Nineteen studies had positive findings in terms of improving sleep outcomes: 6 white noise (33%), 9 pink noise (81.9%), and 4 multiaudio (66.7%). Multiaudio had the lowest (better) risk of bias (mean/standard deviation: 1.67/0.82) compared to white (2.38/0.69) and pink noise (2.36/0.81).
conclusionsAlthough there was no strong evidence to support use of auditory stimulation, none of the studies reported any adverse effects with short-term application of auditory stimulation during sleep. Future research needs to include confounding factors that can affect outcomes, including one's noise sensitivity, personality, and other conditions or medications that may affect sleep. CITATION: Capezuti E, Pain K, Alamag E, Chen XQ, Philibert V, Krieger AC. Systematic review: auditory stimulation and sleep.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.