Sound Conditioner Sound Screen SleepMate Electro-Mechanical White Noise Machine
Filed under Natural Sleep Aids
Marpac Sound Screen & SleepMate 980 combines American ingenuity and craftsmanship to create a lightweight, yet durable appliance capable of many years of reliable service. Marpac sound conditioners create a consistent, smooth sound of rushing air. The tone and volume of the sound are controlled by simply rotating the “cap” and “collar” of the housing. This “white noise” sound effectively masks unwanted noises and creates a sense of calm, making it easier to concentrate, relax an…
Buy Sound Conditioner Sound Screen SleepMate Electro-Mechanical White Noise Machine at Amazon
a href=”http://www.bestnatural-sleep-aids.com/” title=”Natural Sleep Aids “>Back to Natural Sleep Aids
I’ve had trouble sleeping because of background noise for years. I finally bought this because I live in a duplex and my neighbors are loud and erratic in behavior, arguing and moving furniture around at 3:00 am. I was afraid to even try to sleep at home after several days with little sleep and my roommate made me buy this because I was ready to move out.
This product is great. It makes a very fan-like sound, but with no mechanical or cycling sounds, or rattling. This is just a constant whoosh. It has two speeds and you can change the sound of the whoosh by changing the postition of the vent holes on the device. It has a switch right on the side of it, not on the cord so it’s easy to use. It’s even padded on the bottom to make sure it doesn’t vibrate.
I used the low setting last night and slept through the night for the first time in the month since the crazy animals downstairs moved in.
I’ve been relying on ceiling fans and box fans for background noise for years, this is much better. It’s a fuller sound, it covers more, and it doesn’t make me cold.
As many others have said in previous reviews, this is unlike those pre-recorded white noise sounds. This cannot repeat, because it’s actually making the sound as you hear it.
I travel for a living and stay in a lot of hotels. I look forward to taking this thing with me and blocking out the sounds of neighbor’s TV’s and talking and vehicles, etc. . . It’s very small and lightweight, and seems durable.
I don’t know why I didn’t buy this sooner. Shooting my neighbors is the only thing that would help me sleep better, but this is legal so perhaps a better choice.
The first thing to note is that this manufacturer sells the identical product under two names, SleepMate and SoundScreen. The only difference is the name–having “SleepMate” on the label was deemed a bit awkward for office use. They’re both exactly the same otherwise.
I bought this based on wildly favorable reviews online. I found no one who rated it anything less than “incredible.” I am extremely sensitive to noise. If a bit of the neighbor’s stereo noise bleeds into my home, I’m completely unable to tune it out. I can’t read, and sometimes can’t even watch TV comfortably. Unfortunately, I live in an area of dense apartments–where the weather is such that the windows have to stay open–and my husband snores. I sleep with earplugs, but the noise can still keep me awake.
In the past I have tried other noise machines that didn’t work for me–things like “rainfall” cds or electronic noise machines with similar nature sounds. The problem was that they play a loop of sound, and you can hear a pattern as the loop replays. Once there’s a pattern, there’s something to pay attention to, and your mind does not tune it out well. This machine generates pure “white noise,” which I hoped would be more helpful.
The product is the size and shape of a fat smoke detector. Two things surprised me when I first received it. First, it was quieter than I thought it would be–even the loudest setting seems quieter than a window air conditioner. Even still, my husband complained he wouldn’t be able to sleep with “all that noise.” (He got used to it within a day or two). It sounds something like a fan–a rush of air. Although you can adjust the volume and tone somewhat, the highest volume is also the highest pitch. Personally I wish it had a deeper tone.
The second surprise is the instructions say to place it *away* from you, so the sound can “fill the room.” The ideal positioning pictured has it on a high dresser across from the foot of the bed. Unfortunately, my only option was to place it on the bedside table. I don’t know if this really affected my results.
After using it for a while, I would say that it makes it a bit easier to tune out noises, but by no means covers them up. So, once I’m asleep (I still use earplugs), I can stay asleep. If I can manage to get my attention focused on a book the neighborhood noises probably won’t break my concentration. But once I hear the noise I still can’t tune it out. In fact, a couple times I have actually turned off the machine so that I could identify some sound–not knowing “what is that?” was actually bugging me more than when I could hear it clearly. But like I said, I’m a freak about noise.
This would be ideal for covering traffic sounds–it’s just the right sort of noise and pitch. But if your problem is a neighbor’s stereo, that mind-numbing bass is not going to sound much different with this than without. It really doesn’t “cover up” sounds, but if you have a reasonable ability to tune things out (unlike myself) and just need a little help, you will probably be very happy with this. And it’s definitely helpful for *staying* asleep, even for me.
It doesn’t solve all my problems, but based on the reasonable price I’m satisfied with the value I got for my money.
Having this kind of machine helps me in my sleep. It is reliable to use especially you are working at night and sleep at day time.
I think the best solution to noise problems is soundproofing! QuietRock is awesome when it comes to cutting out noise, and has brought back sleep and peace of mind! Check out reviews of the product- it is quite awesome. Cost effective too!