“At Consumer Reports, technicians and engineers measure noise levels on a variety of products, as we never know when or in what environment these products will be used,” says Jason Holmes, CR’s associate director of lab operations. “Depending on your needs, the noise level of a product may be critical to how you will use it.” Our testing teams have found no correlation between a product’s price and the level of noise emitted—an expensive air purifier, for instance, can be as likely to make a racket as a cheaper one.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that noise stays under a whisper-quiet level of 30 decibels during the night for a good-quality rest, if the noise is continuous (for instance, the operational sounds from a fan or air conditioner running). And according to a small study, published in 2016, healthy subjects slept 16 to 34 minutes longer in a soundproof room compared with in the lab or their own home (based on an average total sleep time of about 6.5 hours). There were fewer middle-of-the-night awakenings, too.
“Keeping levels of noise low in bedrooms is very important for maintaining good health,” says Richard Neitzel, PhD, associate professor of environmental health sciences and global public health at the University of Michigan. “Exposure to excessive noise while we are sleeping causes sleep disturbances and increases in stress hormones, which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”
Some people actually feel more relaxed with the persistent hum of a fan (there’s even a white noise machine that sounds like it). But if you’re looking for a comfortable climate for sleep, along with peace and quiet—or something close to it—these recommended products from Consumer Reports’ tests can help. They’re sound performers all around, and—they’re quiet, too.
