Maybe you dance to music regularly, listen to your favorite playlist when you're on the road or some songs offer you comfort when you're not feeling well. But did you know that you can also use music to fall asleep faster and wake up more rested? Here you can read all about sleep music: what it is, how it works and how to apply it in your daily life.
Did your parents sing you to sleep when you were a baby? The same principle still works today - even though you're a lot older now. Listening to sleep music has a direct effect on the quality of your sleep. In a Western Reserve University study, a group of adults listened to sleep music for 45 minutes before going to bed. The quality of their sleep improved as early as the first night.
Music can also help you fall asleep faster. Another study of women with insomnia (insomnia) found that they fell asleep in less than 15 minutes by listening to sleep music 10 nights in a row. Whereas it normally took them between 30 and 60 minutes.
How does music make for better sleep?
Sleep music can be an asset to your evening routine. This may sound strange; after all, you often hear that your environment should be as quiet as possible if you want to sleep well. So how is it that listening to music can actually improve your sleep?
Music can have a positive effect on the regulation of hormones, including cortisol (stress hormone). When you are stressed - and your cortisol levels are high - you are extra alert. At that time, it is enormously difficult to fall asleep. Listening to sleep music or relaxation music lowers cortisol, so you immediately feel a lot calmer and nod off faster.
Music also has a direct effect on the hormone dopamine. This is because music activates the release of dopamine. This is the hormone released when you do things that your brain thinks should be rewarded; think exercise, eating, having sex and being in love. This boost of dopamine makes you feel better, and can even help reduce physical pain.
Listening to music also has a calming effect on the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system - made up of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system - regulates all the automatic functions and processes in your body, such as heart rate, digestion and breathing. Soothing music calms the autonomic nervous system and thus slows down your heart rate and breathing. This automatically makes you feel calm, making it easier to fall asleep.
Stress another factor that plays a big role in how well you sleep. If you associate your bedroom with sleepless nights, worry and frustration, music can help by shifting your attention. You focus on the music, which keeps your attention from going to your negative thoughts. The mental peace that results allows you to fall asleep more easily.
Sleep music app
The "best" sleep music doesn't really exist; in fact, it has everything to do with your own preferences. Perhaps there are certain songs that immediately evoke a calm or happy feeling in you, or that have helped you relax before.
When choosing songs, make sure you choose slow music (for example, piano music, lullabies or meditation music). This is because slow music synchronizes with your heartbeat, making it easier to unwind.
Are you looking for a sleep music app? In the Meditation Moments app, you'll find music specifically designed to help you sleep better. The Sleep category has dozens of songs to dream away to. Play them one after another during your evening routine or save certain songs to your favorites to create your own playlist.
Try Meditation Moments app completely free for 7 days
Start free trial
Baby sleep music
In the Lullabies category you will find baby sleep music. Did you know that you can use baby music not only to soothe little ones, but also to make them feel happier and experience less stress?
How do you make sleep music part of your evening routine?
There are several ways you can make sleep music part of your evening routine:
- Create a playlist. In the Meditation Moments app, you can create a favorites list of the songs that make you feel the most relaxed.
- Schedule your listening time. Listen to sleep music at a set time each night (for example, while brushing your teeth, reading a book or the 30 minutes before you go to sleep).
- Reduce other stimuli. Turn off other devices and provide a quiet environment. You can download your favorite songs from the Meditation Moments app so you can still listen to the songs when your phone is on airplane mode.
- Combine sleep music with other relaxation techniques. You can combine listening to sleep music with doing a meditation, body scan or breathing exercise.
- Make it a habit. Make listening to sleep music part of your regular routine for best results.
