This White Noise Sound Machine Cured My Insomnia
Welcome to Take My Money, a column where we geek out about our favorite products.
I’ve never been a good sleeper. It started in grade school. I’d snuggle into bed, and pick up a book to lull me to sleep. Every once in a while I’d check my alarm clock—10 p.m., 11 p.m., 12 p.m., 1 p.m.—no matter the time, I just wasn’t tired.
It wouldn’t have been so bad had I not needed the sleep, but during the day I felt exhausted. As I got older, it only got worse. 2 p.m, 3 p.m, 4 p.m.—the later (or should I say earlier) it got the more frustrated I’d get and the harder it would be to get some shut-eye.
It seemed like the only way to get sleep was under the perfect conditions. I always had to take melatonin, the temperature had to be within a three-degree range, and God forbid the neighbor’s dog made a single sound.
I chalked my sleeping problem up to the obvious: insomnia. Until I found the SNOOZ White Noise Machine.
What Is the SNOOZ, And What I Like About It
Fan sound minus the airflow
We live on a busy street that gets a lot of foot and car traffic. It’s great when we want to pop out for drinks or an easy dinner. Not so great for a chronic insomniac. Without background noise, it’s near impossible to drown out all the life happening just a thin wall away.
A fan or the AC work okay, except that the airflow from a fan bothers me, and the AC kicks on and off throughout the night (plus it’s expensive). The SNOOZ has a real fan on the inside to create white noise, without blowing any air—a combo I didn’t know I needed and now can’t live without.
Sleek and Compact Design
Many sound machines give me baby monitor or old-school alarm clock vibes, which is what always kept me away. The SNOOZ has a simple design and comes in two colorways that match just about any interior decor: light grey, or charcoal.
We have a single bedside table, which is where I cram my reading lamp, stack of books, water, jewelry holder, TV remote, and SNOOZ. Thank goodness the SNOOZ is small because otherwise, it wouldn’t fit amongst my necessary clutter.
Customizable volume and tone
You can adjust the tone of the fan to be light (like a table fan), deep (like an airplane cabin), or somewhere in between (my personal sweet spot) by twisting the outer shell of the device. You can also set the volume to one of 10 different levels by tapping the up or down buttons on either side of the top of the machine.
For the most part, I stick to a single setting; but, every once in a while the extra options come in handy. When the fire alarm goes off in the apartment across the street it used to throw off my whole night. Now, I just crank up the SNOOZ and ignore it.
Bluetooth Control
For more options, download the SNOOZ app. It allows you to schedule what time your machine turns on and off each day of the week, adjust the volume without getting out of bed, and even turn on the night light function (which is especially handy if you have to make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night).
The Bottom Line
If you’re a light sleeper, Snooz delivers real background fan noise without airflow. Plus, it comes with some pretty snazzy features like an app-controlled night light and a convenient sleep timer to help you get more restful sleep.
