Mom loves colors – all colors – but pink seems to be the color of choice these days. She has several nightgowns that she likes to wear, but the one she’ll choose over the others is baby pink with tiny blue and white flowers. I prefer the blue ones to bring out the blue in her eyes, but if the pink one is clean, that is her choice.
In the springtime, her favorite azaleas are pink. Many years ago, she planted azaleas with tiny pink blossoms and azaleas with huge pink flowers on the path to their front door. The bushes are huge now and the monarch butterflies come by the hundreds to drink their nectar. She prefers pink flowers over other colors, but all flowers are her favorite!
Pink is not my color of choice. I love the pink in a sunrise or sunset, but hardly ever choose it in clothing or decoration. Even when I was very young, Mom would let me choose yellow and red clothes over anything pink. I decorated my childhood bedroom in yellow daisies – no pink anywhere! I made fun of girls who wore pink; I never wanted to be a “pink lady” in the musical Grease. The younger segment of the popular “Red Hat Society” wears pink – I’m glad no one asked me to join! I love to be a part of a group, but I certainly would never wear a pink hat in public. Of course, little girls love pink so I suppose I consider it a juvenile color.
I’ve always considered pink as a color hue. Recently, I’ve learned that it is also a range of decibels as well. We’ve all heard about “white noise” and its benefits to blocking out unwanted sound. There are also ranges of brown noise, orange noise, and a whole rainbow of other noises. Each color vibrates at a different pitch frequency.
According to Medical News Today:
As we age, our quality of sleep declines. Researchers believe that this may contribute to later-life memory loss. New research, however, suggests that there may be a simple solution to this problem: “pink noise.”
Researchers say that pink noise may help to improve deep sleep quality and memory for older adults.
Pink noise is defined as gentle, soothing sound whereby each octave possesses equal energy. In essence, pink noise is the background noise that we hear in everyday environments. Researchers from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, found that when they synced pink noise to the brain waves of older adults as they slept, the sound not only enhanced their quality of deep sleep, but it also improved their memory.
After reading about pink noise, I decided to put it to the test around Mom. Many nights she gets agitated at bedtime, calling for her mama, her daddy, or anyone else who might could save her from being put to bed. Far too often it seems she is frightened and gets overwrought. Of course, this hurts my heart every time. I want her to be calm and not frightened. I’ve been amazed how pink noise soothes her within a minute or two!
Last year, we bought a sound machine for Mom. I had used it a couple of times for the white noise, especially in the middle of the night when she was restless. It seemed to work pretty well. Now I’ve discovered how much better she responds to the pink noise; it’s like magic! While I don’t use it every night, it has become an amazing tool when we need it. On nights when she’s upset, I put her into her bed and pulling up her covers; turn the sound machine on and almost instantly, she is settled. Not only is she calm and pleasant again, but she is usually asleep within fifteen minutes.
This amazing little machine has other sounds: heartbeat, waves, wind, and rain. It has a timer that can be set in 15, 30, and 60 minute segments. Although I don’t remember the exact cost, I am certain it was less than $35 – money well spent. I never dreamed I’d find such an easy elixir for calming her. On mornings when Mom and I are resettling into her chair after a bathroom break, I often set the sound app on my phone and the pink noise can soothe both of us into a nap. I think it’s pretty amazing. I wish I had found pink noise when my children were little!
Pink gowns and pink azaleas and pink noise are now a part of Mom’s life. No wonder pink is starting to grow on me.
Post-script: After writing this yesterday, the pink noise didn’t work last night! (Just when I think I have something figured out!) Perhaps it will still help someone reading this.
