Good sleep hygene ie dark quiet cold is incredibly good for you. It makes you 5-10% better at literally everything. Falling asleep to content is incredibly bad for this its literally making ur dumber and more distracted.
How is it bad sleep hygiene to fall asleep to noise? If it is adequately non-engaging, it is pretty much the same as other white noise. Furthermore, it really depends on each person what makes them relax.
To paraphrase an actual sleep scientist (and not just talk out of my ass like most people do about health):
It is easy to see know if you are getting enough sleep. If you feel tired during the day, you need more sleep.
Because the issue with noise is it causes disruption in your sleep cycle and possibly prevent you reaching deeper stages of sleep. White noise is fine and actually considered beneficial because it provides sufficiently consistent noise that can help mask other sounds that may be disruptive. It boils down to monkey brain still worried about animal coming to eat you but not worried about sound of rain hence millions of years of evolutionary selection on our brains to wake on sudden noises but not consistent noises.
Do you drink coffee? If so how are you going to know if your tired or not?
I see you repeating the claim that it makes sleeping more difficult, but I do think those that listen to sounds, be it ocean waves or someone talking, have the experience that it makes it easier for them to fall asleep.
Sure, there can be problems with sleep quality for numerous reasons. However, making a blanket statement that this disrupts the sleep, especially of those that have positve experience with it, is going to need some factual sources (that I do not think exists).
According to what I have read, it is fine if it is not too stimulating.
EDIT: Also, it is easy to take a break from coffee: It only requires not drinking a few cups. Either way it does not really prevent fatigue, at most delaying it.
