Researchers from Northwestern University have found that acoustic stimulation using pink noise (random sound with more low frequencies than white noise) increases slow-wave brain activity, thus improving sleep-dependent memory retention. Thirteen mature adults completed two nights of sleep; one with the pink noise and one without, in random order. Specific brainwave activity increased during the periods when the pink noise was being delivered, suggesting that it could help older adults preserve some memory functions.

This article appears in the December 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings.