Sound machines specially designed for infants may actually do more harm than good.
The sleep machines that produce white noise or babbling sounds that makes babies go to sleep do more harm than good, according to a study. Researchers found that these devices can impair the hearing in infants following which the study researchers have advised the manufacturers to carry label warnings about the possible harm it could cause.
"At maximum volume, three of [the machines] exceeded the safe levels for adult occupational noise," Dr Blake Papsin, director of the Cochlear Implant Program at The Hospital for Sick Children in Canada and a researcher on the study, told The Huffington Post. "Maybe they're not so good for the baby. Maybe they don't want to hear a heart sound. Maybe they want to hear their environment."
The researchers tested the sound levels of 14 infant sound machines played at maximum volume at 30, 100, and 200 centimeters away from an appliance that modeled a six-months-old's ear canal. The researchers found that when the sound devices were placed at 30 and 100 centimeter distances, all of the machines exceeded 50 decibels, the current recommended noise limit for infants in hospitals. The study findings showed that 13 machines surpassed the recommended noise limit even when put 200 centimeters away.
And three machines had noise levels over 80 dBA. The researchers stated that anything played above 80 dBA for over 8 hours went beyond the recommended noise limit even for adults. This could lead to hearing loss or a delay in hearing development.
"This paper has raised some very significant questions with regard to safety, and there is clearly a need for caution and for gathering more data," said Dr Merrill Wise, a pediatric sleep specialist and neurologist with the Methodist Sleep Center in Memphis, Tenn. told The Post.
"Our concern, however, is that these devices are sold with limited or no instructions for safe use," the study researchers said.
