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From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语健康与生活方式报道。
You may have heard of white noise being used to cover or hide background sounds. But now white noise has some colorful competition.
你可能听说过白噪音被用来掩盖或隐藏背景声音。但是现在白噪音有了一些彩色的竞争者。
There is a growing interest around different kinds of noises.
人们对不同种类的噪音越来越感兴趣。
Pink noise, brown noise, and green noise make up a rainbow of calming sounds.
粉红噪声、棕色噪声和绿色噪声构成了一道彩虹般的舒缓声音。
And there is a growing interest in their theoretical effects on sleep, concentration, and relaxation. The science is new.
人们对它们在睡眠、注意力和放松方面的理论效果越来越感兴趣。这是门全新的科学。
There have only been a few small studies that look at the effects of the noises.
关于噪音影响的研究仅有寥寥数项，且规模较小。
But the lack of research has not stopped thousands of people from listening to hours of these noises on YouTube and on meditation apps.
但是，缺乏研究并没有阻止成千上万人在YouTube和冥想应用程序上聆听数小时这些噪音。
Before we look at pink noise, let’s talk about the most common of colored noises -- white.
在我们研究粉红噪声之前，让我们先谈谈最常见的有色噪声——白噪声。
White noise is similar to static on a radio or television.
白色噪音类似于收音机或电视上的静电。
Sound engineers describe it as having equal volume across all the frequencies that humans can hear.
音响工程师将其描述为拥有在人类可听到的所有频率上的全部音量。
It gets its name from white light, which contains all the visible color wavelengths.
它得名于白光，白光包含所有可见的颜色波长。
However, the high frequencies of white noise can sound severe.
然而，白噪声的高频率可能听起来很刺耳。
Pink noise reduces the sound on those higher frequencies.
粉红噪声降低了那些较高频率的声音。
It sounds lower in pitch, more like the natural sound of rain or the ocean.
它听起来音调较低，更像自然界的雨声或海声。
Let’s listen to an example of white noise. And this is an example of pink noise. Brown noise is even lower in pitch. This makes a pleasing sound.
让我们来听一个白噪声的例子。这是一个粉红噪音的例子。棕色噪音的音调更低。这发出了一种令人愉悦的声音。
Pink and brown have standard definitions to audio experts.
粉色和棕色对音频专家来说有标准定义。
Other colored noises, such as green, are more recent creations. So, their definitions are not as strict.
其他有色噪声，例如绿色噪声，是更新的创造。因此，它们的定义并不那么严格。
Some research has found that white noise and pink noise may provide help for people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
一些研究发现，白噪音和粉红噪音可能对患有注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的人有所帮助。
These people have difficulty staying on a task or finishing it.
这些人难以持续专注于一项任务或完成它。
This claim comes from a review of limited ADHD studies.
这一说法来自对有限的多动症研究的回顾。
In theory, white and pink noises wake up the brain, said ADHD researcher Joel Nigg.
ADHD研究者乔尔·尼格表示，从理论上讲，白色和粉红色噪音会唤醒大脑。
He is with Oregon Health & Science University in Portland.
他就读于波特兰的俄勒冈健康与科学大学。
He is a co-writer of the report “Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Do White Noise or Pink Noise Help With Task Performance in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or With Elevated Attention Problems?”
他是报告《系统评价与荟萃分析：白噪声或粉红噪声对注意力缺陷/多动障碍或注意力问题高的青少年的任务表现有帮助吗？》的合著者。
It appeared in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
该报告发布于《美国儿童与青少年精神病学学会杂志》上。
“The noise provides stimulation to the brain without providing information, and so it doesn’t distract,” Nigg said.
尼格表示：“这种噪音会刺激大脑，但不会提供任何信息，因此不会分散注意力。”
White noise has been used to treat ringing or buzzing in the ear, called tinnitus.
白噪音已被用于治疗耳鸣，耳鸣是指耳朵里出现的嗡嗡声或鸣叫声。
Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois are studying how short pulses of pink noise can increase the slow brain waves of deep sleep.
伊利诺伊州西北大学的科学家们正在研究粉红噪声的短脉冲如何能增加深度睡眠的慢脑电波。
In small studies, these pink-noise pulses have shown promise in improving memory and the relaxation response.
在一些小研究中，这些粉红噪声脉冲已显示出在改善记忆力和放松反应方面的前景。
Dr. Roneil Malkani is a professor of brain science at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
罗尼尔·马尔卡尼博士是西北大学范伯格医学院脑科学教授。
He said the frequency characteristics of pink noise are similar to “…brain wave frequencies we see in slow-wave sleep because these are large, slow waves.”
他说，粉红噪声的频率特性类似于"......我们在慢波睡眠中看到的脑电波频率，因为这些都是大而缓慢的波段"。
If the research on pink noise at Northwestern University holds up under testing, it could lead to a medical device aimed at improving sleep or memory through pulses of pink noise. These pulses would be made to fit an individual.
如果西北大学对粉红噪声的研究能够通过测试，就有可能开发出一种通过粉红噪声脉冲改善睡眠或记忆的医疗设备。这些脉冲将根据个人情况定制。
But many scientific questions remain unanswered, Malkani said. “There’s still a lot of work we have to do.”
但许多科学问题仍未得到解答，马尔卡尼谈到：“我们还需继续努力。”
If colored noises feel calming and help you focus, it makes sense to use them. But Nigg offers a few pieces of advice.
如果有色噪音让人感到平静并有助于集中注意力，那么使用它们是有意义的。但尼格提供了一些建议。
He suggests keeping them at a quiet level to prevent hearing loss and to take “plenty of breaks for the ears to rest. ”
他建议将音量保持在安静的水平，以防止听力损失，并“让耳朵有足够的休息时间”。
And that’s the Health & Lifestyle report. I’m Anna Matteo.
这就是本期的健康与生活报道。我是安娜·马特奥。
