Think your sound machine is helping you sleep? It might be doing the opposite.

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine found that listening to pink noise at bedtime could disturb REM sleep (dream sleep) and sleep recovery.

The research, published in the journal Sleep, found that earplugs were significantly more effective at blocking out traffic noise during sleep.

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The researchers observed 25 healthy adults between the ages of 21 and 41, in an eight-hour, seven-night sleep lab simulation, according to a Penn Medicine press release.

The participants said they did not previously use noise to help them sleep, and did not have any sleep disorders.

During the experiment, the participants slept under different sound exposures, including aircraft noise, pink noise, aircraft noise with pink noise, and aircraft noise with earplugs. The participants completed tests and surveys each morning to gauge sleep quality, alertness and other health effects.

Exposure to aircraft noise was associated with about 23 fewer minutes spent in the deepest stage of sleep compared to no noise, the study found. 

Earplugs prevented this decline in deep sleep “to a large extent,” the release stated.

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Pink noise at 50 decibels, which sounds similar to “moderate rainfall,” was associated with almost a 19-minute decrease in REM sleep.

Aircraft noise and pink noise combined led to “significantly shorter” REM and deep sleep compared to noise-free nights. Time spent awake was also 15 minutes longer with this combination, which was not observed with solo aircraft or pink noise.

Participants said their sleep felt “lighter,” the overall quality was worse, and they reported waking up more frequently when exposed to aircraft or pink noise compared to no noise, unless they used earplugs.

Lead study author Mathias Basner, M.D., Ph.D., professor of sleep and chronobiology in psychiatry, noted that REM sleep is important for “memory consolidation, emotional regulation and brain development.”

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“Our findings suggest that playing pink noise and other types of broadband noise during sleep could be harmful — especially for children whose brains are still developing and who spend much more time in REM sleep than adults,” he wrote in the release.

Basner noted it’s common for parents to place sound machines near their newborns or toddlers, with a “good intention” of helping them fall and stay asleep.

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There were some positive effects of pink noise, he said, including that it mitigated some deep sleep reduction and sleep fragmentation caused by “intermittent” environmental noise.

“If low amounts of deep sleep and sleep fragmentations are someone’s main sleep issues, pink noise could be overall beneficial for them,” he said. 

Importance of sound sleep

Individuals cycle through periods of deep sleep and REM sleep multiple times throughout the night, according to Penn Medicine. Deep sleep is important for physical restoration, memory consolidation and the clearing of toxins in the brain.

“Deep and REM sleep complement each other and collectively guarantee that we wake up restored in the morning, ready for the next day,” the release stated.

Dr. William Lu, a San Francisco sleep expert and medical director of Dreem Health, said these findings are a “significant pivot” from the sound machine trend.

“While pink noise might mask external disruptions, it introduces a constant stimulus that the brain still has to process,” he told Fox News Digital. “The most concerning finding is that we may be unknowingly sacrificing segments of our REM sleep.”

Differences between ambient noises

Different types of noise could potentially have different impacts on sleep, Lu acknowledged.

White noise translates as “equal energy across all frequencies” and sounds like harsh radio static, the sleep expert said. Brown noise emphasizes lower frequencies, resulting in a “deep, bass-heavy rumble” like distant thunder or a heavy waterfall.

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While pink noise also has more energy at lower frequencies, but not as deep as brown, it creates a “perceptually balanced” sound like steady rainfall or wind.

“The study suggests that pink noise acts as a continuous auditory load that specifically fragments and reduces REM sleep,” Lu summarized. 

Based on this type of research and data, the expert said he does not recommend using a sound machine as a “first-line” sleep aid in his own practice.

More research needed

The researchers concluded that the impact of pink noise and other audio sleep aids needs to be studied more thoroughly.

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“Overall, our results caution against the use of broadband noise, especially for newborns and toddlers, and indicate that we need more research in vulnerable populations on long-term use, on the different colors of broadband noise, and on safe broadband noise levels in relation to sleep,” Basner said.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, the researcher noted that the study, funded by the FAA, does have limitations — including that it did not investigate the effect on sleep when pink noise is used for longer periods of time.

The study was also relatively small, Basner said, and the researchers haven’t yet examined differences between individuals.

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“Until we have more research, I would recommend that if somebody wants to use pink noise, they should do it at the lowest sound level that still works for them — and if falling asleep is the main problem, put the machine/app on a timer so that it shuts off after the subject falls asleep,” he advised.

“Also, I would probably discourage general use [for] newborns and toddlers until we have more information.”

Prior to James Van Der Beek’s death at age 48, the actor revealed the first warning sign of his colon cancer — and it’s one that did not seem alarming at the time.

The “Dawson’s Creek” actor’s wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, confirmed his passing in a social media post on Wednesday.

Following the announcement of his colorectal cancer diagnosis in November 2024, Van Der Beek told Healthline in August that “there wasn’t any red flag or something glaring.”

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“I was healthy. I was doing the cold plunge,” he said. “I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”

The one symptom that he did experience was a change in bowel movements, which the actor chalked up to an effect of his coffee consumption.

“Before my diagnosis, I didn’t know much about colorectal cancer,” Van Der Beek said. “I didn’t even realize the screening age [had] dropped to 45; I thought it was still 50.”

He ultimately underwent a colonoscopy, which revealed that the actor had stage 3 colon cancer.

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Professor Eitan Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., an oncologist and founder of The Suzanne Levy-Gertner Oncogenetics Unit at the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, confirmed that changes in bowel habits are the primary red flag that should raise the suspicion of colorectal cancer.

Others include fatigue (linked to anemia), blood in stool, weight loss, loss of appetite and abdominal discomfort, as Friedman, who has not treated Van Der Beek, previously told Fox News Digital.

“I was in amazing cardiovascular shape, and I had stage 3 cancer, and I had no idea.”

Dr. Erica Barnell, M.D., Ph.D., a physician-scientist at Washington University School of Medicine — and co-founder and chief medical officer at Geneoscopy — noted that Van Der Beek’s experience of having no “glaring” signs is common.

“Many colorectal cancers develop silently, without obvious symptoms,” Barnell, who also did not treat the actor, previously told Fox News Digital. “By the time symptoms appear, the disease may already be advanced.”

Symptoms are “especially worrisome” for those 45 and older who have at least one first-degree relative with colon cancer or other GI malignancies, and those with active inflammatory bowel disease, such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, added Friedman, who is also an advisory board member at SpotitEarly, a startup that offers an at-home breath test to detect early-stage cancer signals.

Early detection is key

The overall chance of an average-risk person getting colorectal cancer over a lifetime is 4% to 5%, according to Friedman.

“Colonoscopy at age 45 onwards, at five- to 10-year intervals, has been shown to lead to early detection of polyps that have the potential to become malignant, and to allow for their removal as an effective means of minimizing the risk of malignant transformation,” he said. 

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Unfortunately, Barnell noted, “screening compliance in the U.S. remains below national targets, and gaps are widest in rural, low-income and minority communities.”

To help close those gaps, she called for greater access to “accurate, noninvasive screening technologies,” along with efforts to increase public awareness.

“Most people don’t like talking about bowel habits, but paying attention to changes can save your life,” Barnell said. “Screening gives us the chance to find problems early — often before you feel sick — and that can make all the difference.”

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Fox News Digital previously reached out to Van Der Beek’s representative for comment.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine using mRNA technology, the company announced Tuesday, a decision that could delay the introduction of a shot designed to offer stronger protection for older adults.

Moderna said it received what’s known as a “refusal-to-file” (RTF) letter from the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), citing the lack of an “adequate and well-controlled” study with a comparator arm that “does not reflect the best-available standard of care.”

Stéphane Bancel, chief executive officer of Moderna, said the FDA’s decision did not “identify any safety or efficacy concerns with our product” and “does not further our shared goal of enhancing America’s leadership in developing innovative medicines.”

“It should not be controversial to conduct a comprehensive review of a flu vaccine submission that uses an FDA-approved vaccine as a comparator in a study that was discussed and agreed on with CBER prior to starting,” Bancel said in a statement. “We look forward to engaging with CBER to understand the path forward as quickly as possible so that America’s seniors, and those with underlying conditions, continue to have access to American-made innovations.”

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The rare decision from the FDA comes amid increased scrutiny over vaccine approvals under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized mRNA vaccines and rolled back certain COVID-19 shot recommendations over the past year.

Kennedy previously removed members of the federal government’s vaccine advisory panel and appointed new members, and moved to cancel $500 million in mRNA vaccine contracts.

The FDA authorized COVID-19 vaccines for the fall for high-risk groups only. Last May, Kennedy announced the vaccines would be removed from the CDC’s routine immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women.

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According to Moderna, the refusal-to-file decision was based on the company’s choice of comparator in its Phase 3 trial — a licensed standard-dose seasonal flu vaccine — which the FDA said did not reflect the “best-available standard of care.”

Moderna said the decision contradicts prior written communications from the FDA, including 2024 guidance stating a standard-dose comparator would be acceptable, though a higher-dose vaccine was recommended for participants over 65.

Moderna said the FDA “did not raise any objections or clinical hold comments about the adequacy of the Phase 3 trial after the submission of the protocol in April 2024 or at any time before the initiation of the study in September 2024.”

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In August 2025, following completion of the Phase 3 efficacy trial, Moderna said it held a pre-submission meeting with CBER, which requested that supportive analyses on the comparator be included in the submission and indicated the data would be a “significant issue during review of your BLA.”

Moderna said it provided the additional analyses requested by CBER in its submission, noting that “at no time in the pre-submission written feedback or meeting did CBER indicate that it would refuse to review the file.”

The company requested a Type A meeting with CBER to understand the basis for the RTF letter, adding that regulatory reviews are continuing in the European Union, Canada and Australia.

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Fox News has reached out to the Department of Health and Human Services for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Alex Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this report.