Researchers at MIT and Boston University found that pink noise, played in short bursts precisely timed to a sleeper's brain waves, increased the size of cerebrospinal fluid waves that help clear waste from the brain during sleep. The study, led by senior author Laura Lewis and lead author Joshua Levitt, was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on 9 September 2026. Fourteen healthy volunteers slept during afternoon sessions inside an MRI scanner while wearing EEG equipment. A custom algorithm predicted the timing of slow brain waves and delivered 50-millisecond bursts of pink noise at the optimal moment in that cycle. Lewis said the team "found that we were able to increase the size of the CSF flow wave during sleep, which as far as we know, there hasn't been a method to do before."
Timing mattered, continuous noise did not
Continuous pink noise alone produced no comparable effect; the response depended on hitting the correct point in the slow-wave cycle. The study involved only 14 healthy adults in a laboratory MRI setting, did not test memory or cognitive outcomes, and the researchers caution against trying to reproduce the effect at home without specialised equipment. Lewis and Levitt have a patent pending and have co-founded a company, Cerebloom Inc, to develop a headband device based on the method, a financial interest disclosed alongside the paper.
What this means for your supplement routine
This is early-stage research into a sound-based technique, not a supplement, and the researchers themselves note it needs testing in larger and more varied groups before any practical use is established. It says nothing about whether any supplement changes cerebrospinal fluid flow, and the commercial interest the researchers hold in a future device is a reason to wait for independent replication before drawing conclusions. Readers comparing what is actually in a sleep product can check ingredient lists and certification across Perqen's Sleep & Recovery collection.
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This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.