Music And Sleep
A study measuring self-reported relaxation in groups with different objective levels of oxytocin release found that music increased oxytocin and accordingly levels of relaxation compared to control groups . Outside of clinical practice, music is frequently used to self-regulate mood and arousal as well as to decrease negative thoughts . Given the established links between stress and poor sleep, this research provides indicative evidence to suggest that music may be a powerful tool in the fight against sleep loss. In a typical study, people listen to relaxing tunes for about 45 minutes before they head off to bed. Several studies have found that the music’s tempo makes a difference. “Reputable studies find that music with a rhythm of about 60 beats a minute helps people fall asleep,” says Breus.
Listening to music before bed is not the only “calming” thing we do that may actually be disrupting our sleep. Here are some of the other habits sleep experts say to avoid or limit before bed. The outcomes of this study are especially relevant given how common earworms are. In a 2011 study of over 12,000 Finnish internet users, 89.2% of participants reported experiencing earworms at least once a week. Timing –This expresses the use of music to help in the process of monitoring sleep time. Internal –Utilized to describe instances when the target of the distraction is a subjective bodily or mental experience, this level 1 theme was made up of two level 2 subthemes.
Whilst supporting the anecdotal idea that a key reason to select music for sleep is to aid relaxation, the survey identified for the first time a larger collection of motivators for using music when sleep is disturbed. The use of music as a distractor was a prominent theme, with distraction against thoughts a frequent comment that would benefit from further research. Negative thoughts are one of the main contributors to sleep loss in people with insomnia and distraction of these thoughts was one of the main reasons reported for the use of music throughout the survey. It also reduces cortisol, a hormone that stimulates alertness and also stress, according to numerous studies.
Chill-out music can be a mix of genres, including blues, jazz, and pop. The main idea behind these tunes is to generate an ambient environment in which you don’t overthink or dwell on the memories of the day. The response to sound highly varies with people, in both the waking and sleeping lives. Like sight and smell, the sound is connected to memory and can stimulate both positive and negative emotions. People exposed to pink noise during sleep Calming Music spend more time in deep, slow-wave sleep, according to a study published in The Journal of Theoretical Biology. For many, the rhythmic crashing of water onto sand and rock can be quite calming.
Now they were using our meditations,” Smith concluded, and so the company began commissioning what it calls “stories” — breathy, soothing, grown-up bedtime tales with a feather bed of tinkling music beneath the murmured words. Another criteria for music to help you sleep is for there to be a lack of repetition. When you listen to music, your brain tries to find a repetitive melody, trying to predict a tempo and pattern.
Physical —This time was used when a participant stated the aim was to improve their physical state in advance of sleep. Mood Designated examples where a change in personal mood while listening to music or setting a desired environmental mood with the music was the goal. There may be some merit to using music to lull yourself to sleep. Studies have found that participants who listen to music subjectively report better sleep. 4 Surprising Health Conditions Inadequate Sleep Is Associated With You might think that lack of sleep only affects your mood, focus, and productivity.
To comprehend the degree to which music is having an effect on sleep, moderating factors such as musical engagement should be considered alongside music structure and preferences. A better understanding of the role of individual differences when it comes to using music as a sleep aid may also have implications for the function of music in wellbeing settings such as pain therapy and depression. In our data musical engagement played a significant role in the frequency of which individuals are using music as a sleep aid. Hence in our sample, music provides an option for many who are seeking help at a low cost and with no determinable side effects. In terms of what these individuals chose to listen to within the music available to them, we note a large diversity within their responses, with great variety in the musical genres. These playlists generally include tracks with relatively low tempo (60–80 beats per minute), low amplitude, and relatively little or slow-moving change, and are of a smooth/legato nature .
These studies are often performed on people who are undergoing medical treatments like surgery. Listening to music can help both acute pain and chronic pain, including hard-to-treat chronic pain associated with conditions like fibromyalgia. So, it’s no surprise that scientific research has measured several benefits that music can have on sleep. Music is an incredible tool for emotional health, daily performance, and sleep.
However, research suggests that music may also minimize pain, and by doing so, help you sleep better. Sleep Disorders Learn about the different types of sleep disorders such as insomnia and sleep apnea. Explore the symptoms, causes, tests and treatments of sleep disorders.
They add that in order to facilitate sleep, a person will likely need to listen to the music for at least 45 minutes. Listening to meditation music has been proven to help people with sleep disorders by boosting both their sleep quality and quantity. The benefits may not be apparent overnight, it can take as long as a month of consistency to see improvement, however, research shows that it does pay off. If you’re listening to a Bach sonata in a room blazing with lights, or with your face in a computer screen, you not likely to get the sleep-inducing effects of the music in the background. Make sure the rest of your nightly routine and environment is soothing, calm, and dimly lit.