White Noise Machine for Insomnia

My insomnia probably became chronic when I was in my mid-60s.  I used to look forward to the peace that would come from lying down and closing my eyes after a busy day.  But suddenly every night was a battle.  I could normally get to sleep relatively easily, but staying asleep was another matter.  And I didn't sleep well.  I got some help from zolpidem (Ambien), but the doctors and insurers became increasingly reluctant to prescribe it.  And for good reason.

One of my providers recommended the book No More Sleepless Nights.  I didn't get it, but I found similar advice on line.  Experts recommend techniques like keeping your room dark, keeping room temperature low, avoiding caffeine after noon, spending your last hour before bed in non-stimulating activities, and such like.  The book originated in the 90s, before we had all these device screens, but we are now advised to avoid screens in the evening.  Most are juiced with extra blue light, which reminds our brains of the mid-day sun.

Still frustrated, I recently read an article that recommended using a white noise machine.  I was trying to do everything else I'd read about and thought this might be worth a try.  Amazon suggested the Dohm Classic, so I picked one up.

When I started it, the first thing I noticed was that it sounded just like my CPAP machine with the hose pulled off.  A steady whooshing noise.  It had two speeds, so I started with the lower speed, since I was afraid the noise would keep me awake.  But I fell right to sleep, and I had an insomnia-free night!  So I ran it the following night with the same results.  But the third night was like before -- quick to fall asleep at 10, but awake at 2 or 3.  And it continued this way for several days.

So by a brilliant stroke of genius, I moved the speed up to the higher level.  Wonderful!  Two nights of great sleep -- better than I'd had in a year or two.  But then back to normal.  I took it to Seattle, and it didn't help at all the two nights before my tests. 

But I'm still using it, and I'm doing better.  Quite a bit better, in fact.  Anxiety over the tests may have been a factor with my experience last weekend, but that's behind me now.  So the last three nights have gone very well.  An important thing is how I feel when I wake up.  Part of my experience with insomnia is being awake when I want to sleep, but also just not sleeping well.  Usually, when I use the white noise machine, I wake up feeling quite rested.

So if you have issues with insomnia, you should consider a white noise machine like the one I tried.