Unintended Consequences

Is there anyone among us who, at times, who does not help falling asleep at bedtime? I think not. In recent years, one particular device designed to address that need has risen in popularity. I am talking about sleep machines. More and more you see them in motels and people's homes. Depending upon the particular device, soft music, soft rains, winds, and even animals calls are examples of the soothing sounds many of these machines emit. They must work because their sales continue to climb. Recently, however, I came across a study that suggests these innovative devices may not be all they are cracked up to be.


Researches at the University of Toronto are finding that sleep machines, if played too loudly, can put those on their receiving at risk. Specifically, these machines can cause hearing impairment. This, of course, is not good. Still, it is an example of how the road to progress is not always a straight line. At times, it can be several steps forward and then several steps back. The sleep machines and their impact fall under the broad umbrella of communication. They represent an effort to communicate a certain message - calm and tranquility - as a way of injecting feelings of comfort and safety into the mind of those on the receiving end of that communique.  


It makes sense, of course. All of us sleep more soundly when we are relaxed. Yet it seems the message from the sleep machines is quite possibly not all it seems. In the present, it provides its listeners with calm while at the same time, puts them at future risk. The best kind of communicating does not carry with it any such kind of double-edged impact. Even when there is disagreement or controversy in a communique, ideally the message is straight forward and without hidden meaning. While I am not suggesting the makers of the various sleep machines foresaw the inherent risk in their creations, I do believe from a communication standpoint they could have been more sensitive to the fallout of their message.