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Ever wonder why the sound of rain makes you instantly drowsy, but a ticking clock drives you up the wall? Thats because not all noise soothes the brain in the same way. Sleep sounds might seem like just background buzz, but they’re carefully engineered to allow your brain to let go. Behind every babbling brook or rainforest storm track is an intricate design meant to quiet the mind, block out distractions, and nudge you toward sleep. As more people rely on sleep sounds to wind down, the industry behind them has surged, which is evidence of just how common this nightly ritual has become. Mediation and mindfulness app Headspace, says 51% of listeners use its sleep content (the app has been downloaded more than 70 million times). Ozlo, a company that created bluetooth earbuds that mask noise with sleep sounds, launched its flagship product in October 2024 after a successful Kickstarter. Since then, the company has sold nearly 100,000 units worldwide. Meanwhile, platforms like YouTube and Spotify are packed with deep sleep playlists, sound baths, and endless loops of ambient noise. Color noisewhite, brown, or pink, which emit sound energy at different frequenciescan be surprisingly effective at helping you fall and stay asleep. But we often oversimplify how they work, says Ethan Cohen, a music and sound composer at Ozlo Sleepbuds, and these sounds alone arent a cure-all. There’s often this tendency to say, this sound does X, Y, or Z. But you don’t just press a button and conk out, he says. Theyre facilitating the conditions for healthy sleep or relaxation. Theyre giving you your best chance at sleeping well. A lot of what makes a sound effective is personal. People tend to like certain frequency ranges based on nature, says Scott Sorenson, audio engineer for Headspace. White noise is what rain sounds likeits really high pitched. Brown noise is a much lower frequency rangeit sounds like youre underwater or even in the womb. We all have that maternal connection. Memory plays a huge role, too. If you grew up next to a highway, the rumble of trucks might feel oddly soothing. If your childhood nights were filled with crickets and light wind, even the low hum of traffic might keep you awake. There’s a lot of preference involved based on what is happening in the person’s life and in their environment, Cohen says. Thats why both Ozlo and Headspace have built full libraries of sleep soundsto meet people where they are. Sound composers like Cohen and Sorenson go way beyond simple static. They build immersive sound environments: layers of familiar, soothing textures help create a feeling of safety and ease, quietly occupying the mind just enough to help you drift off. Inside the craft of sleep sound design Building the perfect sleep sound is part science, part art. And most sounds are designed to serve two main purposes: mask disturbances (like traffic or snoring), and calm the mind. Ozlos most popular request is for sleep maskssounds built specifically to block out noisy environments. To design one, Cohen studies how these external sleep disturbances sound at a frequency level. I look at what the noise sounds like on its own. Then what it sounds like once our headphones are sitting in your ears, he says. From there, he builds layers to cover the gaps, often at a similar frequency as the offending sound. The goal is that any time an external sound is also heard, it just blends into that bed of sound, he says. Were gently raising the threshold of what sounds a person is hearing so that if something does bubble up in their external environment, nothing pokes through the quiet and causes a disturbance. Calming tracks that quiet racing thoughts take a slightly different approach. Instead of just covering up noise, they aim to transport you somewhere elsesomewhere your brain instinctively feels safe. It should evoke positive or calming memories, says Cohen. [carousel_block id=”carousel-1747168293067″] Sorenson describes this process as constructing an audio diorama: layering field recordings, ambient noise, and subtle musical motifs to build a miniature world for a listeners mind to explore. I want to create things that are hidden inside of the sound. That if you listen, you can peel back the layers and go deeper and deeper, he says. That kind of mindset allows the mind to drift into that other space when we sleep. Right now, Cohen is working on re-creating the experience of being on a train. He started with a field recording he made on a recent ridethat becomes the foundation. Then, he gets deeper to fill in the gaps that the audio didnt pick up: What materials is the train made out of? Does it feel like a safe, well-running train? Does it feel crowded? he asks. Every detail matters, even if listeners dont consciously recognize it. Once he sets the scene, Cohen begins layering in other sounds: rain tapping against the window (either digitally created or carefully edited from a sample), the soft chatter of other passengers, intermittent gusts of wind, the distant call of a train horn. Those will all be separate elements that I’m mixing together to create a sense of realism, he says. Keeping the brain engagedbut not awake Even though personal preference shapes what we find soothing, good sleep sounds share a few key traits. First: predictability. A well-studied aspect of what makes something relaxing is that there’s formal predictability, says Cohen. There won’t be anything that is surprising or shocking or jolting in the experience. Think about how a sudden car alarm or barking dog snaps you wide awake. But too much predictability backfires. If it’s too simple, too monotonous, it becomes annoying, says Sorenson. Think of the maddening tick of a clock or rhythmic drip of a faucet. The best sounds strike a balance: steady enough to be calming, but varied enough to keep your brain gently engaged. Rain is a classic example. If you listen to the rain, there’s an immense amount of randomness and variation within a larger predictable phenomenon, says Cohen. [Images: Courtesy of Headspace] Another detail most listeners wont consciously notice: the key of the music itself. Sorenson has found that sleep sounds built around major keysrather than minor onestend to feel lighter and more relaxing. The best sleep sounds don’t just drown out the worldthey create a new one that’s easy to get lost in. And right now, theyre one of the gentlest tools we have to improve sleep. In a world obsessed with quick fixes, Sorensen says, theres something powerful about finding rest through creativity, memory, and sound. Art is important. Sound and music have a healing effect on people, says Sorenson. Potentially at some point, there could be a pill for everything. But right now, this is what we have.
Category:
E-Commerce
Digital banking fintech firm Chime disclosed a rise in 2024 revenue in its IPO filing on Tuesday for a long-awaited U.S. stock market launch. Financial technology companies have increasingly entered the U.S. lending space, aiming to wrest market share from major players such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citigroup. Chime’s revenue rose to $1.67 billion in the fiscal year ended 2024, up from $1.28 billion, a year earlier. The IPO window has reopened as markets recover sharply amid progress in trade talks, offering companies an opportunity to list their shares after months of turbulence driven by tariffs. A strong debut by Chime could pave the way for other IPO candidates, particularly in the technology sector, to move forward with their listings. “We led the 2017 Series B when few Silicon Valley investors believed, driven by our conviction that Chime could become a category-defining company,” said Simon Wu from Cathay Innovation. “Today’s IPO filing marks an exciting new chapternot just for Chime, but for the future of inclusive, technology-driven consumer finance.” San Francisco-based Chime, cofounded by Chris Britt and Ryan King in 2012, provides financial services via a mobile app. The company has raised $2.65 billion from private investors since its inception, according to data from PitchBook. Its last fundraise round attracted high-profile investors including SoftBank Investment Advisers, General Atlantic and Tiger Global Management. In August 2021, Chime achieved a valuation of $25 billion during a fundraise. However, the company did not disclose the number of shares it intends to sell or the estimated price band for its listing. The startup will trade on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “CHYM”. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and J.P.Morgan are heading a syndicate of Wall Street investment banks chosen to underwrite the offering. Jaiveer Shekhawat and Manya Saini, Reuters
Category:
E-Commerce
Ikea just debuted its first-ever rewards program for customers in the U.S., and it could mean a major discount on your next plate of Swedish meatballsor even a price cut on a new vintage-inspired piece of furniture. The rewards program launches today, and it allows shoppers to accrue points for a range of actions and then redeem them for various discounts. The rewards are a free add-on to Ikea Family, the stores existing loyalty program (which is also free to join and currently boasts around 24 million members). Any current members of Ikea Family will automatically be enrolled in the rewards program, and new members who sign up will start earning points automatically. Like most rewards programs, the points system is designed to give shoppers a feel-good boost every time they interact with the Ikea brand. For a company that thrives on cultivating a dedicated fan base through frequent product drops, a store layout designed to cultivate an experience, and plenty of nostalgic callbacks, its a move that feels like it’s been a long time coming. New system reflects how consumers expect to shop Currently, members of Ikea Family gain access to a few benefits including reduced delivery fees, discounts on certain products, complimentary in-store beverages, and free in-store workshops. According to Nicole King, customer engagement and loyalty manager at Ikea U.S., the new rewards are meant to recognize and add more value for this core set of Ikea devotees. The U.S. will join Ikea stores in Portugal, Australia, and Italy, which have already introduced the rewards program to shoppers. We are working to create a more accessible and convenient retail experience for our customers, King says. Meeting them with a rewards offer that allows them to earn points for interacting with Ikea reflects how consumers expect to shop today. How the Ikea rewards points work There are a variety of ways that members can earn points. To start, every dollar spent online and in person equals 1 point; sharing a gift registry earns 10; and logging into an online account or saving a wish list scores 25. Bigger actions like attending an Ikea event, creating an Ikea Family profile, or making a gift registry garner 50 points. As these points tally up, they can then be redeemed for a range of perksthough it might take some time, or a lot of aspirational online shopping, to earn anything substantial. At 65 points, members can grab free food at the Ikea Restaurant and Bistro; 175 points allows for a $5 discount on product purchases. And starting at 350 points and more, members can receive $10 off delivery. Beyond 350 points, King says, other potential earnings could include $20 off a product or delivery and $50 off an assembly service. Rewards from Ikea Family is based on helping customers bring their ideas to life throughout the journey of dreaming, planning, and implementing their projects, King explains. Its the first step in redefining how we work with loyalty and member engagement in order to enable and sustain a lifetime value for both members and Ikea. The new program won’t exactly reinvent the wheel, but it might just help draw Ikea’s cult following even closer.
Category:
E-Commerce
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