Sleep music is a popular way to relax before bed and can be effective in helping you get to sleep. There have been many sleep aid websites and apps that include sleep music, sounds, and noises to send you to sleep in recent times. You can also gain free access to thousands of sleep music tracks online and through streaming services.
Keep reading to discover how music affects your brain and whether sleep music could effectively improve your sleep quality.
How Music Affects Our Brain
Music has the power to provoke strong, unique emotional and psychological responses, which can affect your mood in various ways. This includes being able to relax and de-stress, which are both useful when trying to get to sleep.
The way the brain processes music is complex, and research is still ongoing. However, it is understood that different parts of the brain can handle various aspects of music, such as pitch, volume and beat. Sound vibrations are sent to the brain via electrical signals, which are then converted to neural messages for the different parts of the brain to understand.
People often react to music in different ways; this is due to factors such as exposure, social influence, family, childhood and the way your brain responds to music. With that being said, music has the universal power to improve memory, mood, mental alertness and sleep quality. Music can also help reduce stress, pain and symptoms of depression.
Music Genres For Sleep
While we all have different preferences regarding music genres, certain types of music may be more effective at getting you to sleep than others. Below are some popular music genres that are believed to help you relax and send you to sleep.
- Classical: A popular choice for many, classical music can help you to relax by slowing down your pulse and decreasing stress hormones. A study✓ involving 94 students, found that relaxing classical music was successful in reducing sleep problems and possibly helping treat insomnia.
- Smooth Jazz: The relaxing rhythm of smooth jazz can have a calming effect which could be effective in helping you get to sleep. The low beats in jazz music can help you to de-stress and can lower your heart rate.
- Lo-fi: Short for low fidelity music, lo-fi music is popular for studying due to the absence of lyrics, but can also be used to help you sleep. Lo-fi music is often described as familiar and nostalgic, something that can be comforting and relaxing.
- Nature Sounds: Many people enjoy listening to ocean waves, bird songs or rain as a relaxing method to help them sleep. Research✓ has also found that natural sounds can help decrease stress and annoyance, which could be useful if stress is responsible for keeping you awake at night.
Sleep Music: Pros And Cons
There are many advantages and disadvantages to listening to music before bed; this can depend on your personal preferences and the type of music you enjoy. If you want to try listening to music as a method of helping you sleep, here are the pros and cons worth considering.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| ✓ Relaxing music can have a calming effect, which can be beneficial for falling asleep. A study✓ involving patients awaiting surgery found that music could have a stress-inducing effect while lowering cortisol levels. | ✗ If the music is over-stimulating the brain, it can prevent you from relaxing and disrupt your body’s ability to produce melatonin. |
| ✓ Listening to music before bed has been found to encourage relaxation. Research✓ has indicated that it could be an easy and cheap method to promote music-assisted relaxation. | ✗ A study✓ into bedtime music found that those who listened to music before bed were more likely to experience earworms, as the sleeping brain continues to process the musical melodies. |
| ✓ Music can be an effective tool for older people who have difficulties sleeping. A study✓ with sixty people aged 60-83 found that bedtime music improved sleep quality and longer sleep duration. | ✗ Listening to instrumental music instead of other types of music is believed to worsen sleep quality. Research✓ also indicates that instrumental music can lead to twice as many earworms. |
| ✓ For those suffering from mental health illnesses and conditions, such as anxiety and depression, it can often cause the individual to lose sleep or stay awake. Research✓ has found music can decrease depression levels, particularly in elderly participants. | ✗ You could encounter various problems if you enjoy wearing headphones while listening to bedtime music. This could include hearing loss due to loud volumes, ear infections or wax buildup due to lack of air circulation. |
Good to know!
There are plenty of sleep headphones on the market. These can include many features, such as Bluetooth technology, a built-in eye mask and soft cotton materials.
White Noise
Like sleep music, white noise has also proven popular in helping people relax and get to sleep. In a nutshell, white noise is a combination of many different frequencies of sounds, which can drown out other noises. Examples of white noise items include fans, air conditioners, or television static. You can also find several apps which offer white noise generators to help you sleep.
As white noise is able to mask other sounds, it could be effective in helping you sleep as it may minimise noise disturbance. A study✓ involving 60 hospital patients found that white noise could be an effective method to mask environmental noise and improve sleep. However, some experts have criticised the use of white noise as a sleep aid, claiming that your mind needs a break from auditory stimulation. Others have also stated that there is little evidence that white noise is effective and doesn’t benefit those sleeping in a quiet environment.
Alternatives To Sleep Music
If listening to sleep music isn’t an effective method for you, you can try various other things to help you relax before bedtime. Here are some popular techniques that could help you sleep faster and improve your sleep quality.
- Meditation: Practicing regular meditation can help you to relax your mind and disconnect from negative thoughts, which can be useful when trying to get to sleep. For this reason, research✓ has indicated that mindfulness meditation may be effective at treating sleep disturbances.
- Yoga: Like meditation, yoga can also help to relax the mind, and control your breathing. A survey✓ involving adults in the U.S found that over 55% of those practising yoga reported improved sleep, and over 85% reported reduced stress.
- Aromatherapy: Different scents are widely believed to help you relax and de-stress before bed. Popular scents for relaxing include chamomile, rosemary and lavender. Regarding the latter, research✓ concluded that lavender essential oils can increase sleep quality and reduce anxiety amongst hospital patients. You can find these scents amongst candles, incense and pillow sprays.
- Reading: Rather than scrolling on your phone, reading can be a good alternative to help you relax and avoid the harmful blue light coming from your mobile. There are many benefits to bedtime reading, and it was found that only six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of music helps you sleep?
This can depend on the individual and your personal preferences. However, popular sounds and genres include classical music and nature sounds, which are known to help you feel relaxed.
What happens if you sleep while listening to music?
For some, listening to music can help you to de-stress, slow down your heart rate and help you feel relaxed. However, different types of music can have different effects and can also be disruptive for light sleepers.
Why do I hear music in my head while trying to sleep?
Auditory hallucinations are relatively common and often occur when somebody feels stressed or suffers from anxiety. You may hear popping or beeping noises, as well as high pitched sounds.