Scientists Show That Music Can Help You Fall Asleep (Plus The Best Songs To Sleep To)

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music for sleep
Photo by Mark J. Sebastian

From the time I was a child until I was in my mid 20’s I never had a problem falling asleep. In fact, I could lie down at night and be out like a light within 5 minutes. Somewhere in my late 20’s all that changed and that’s how I got interested in using music for sleep. I got married, had a child, and worked about 12 hours a day (and still do). I started noticing when I went to bed it felt like I couldn’t slow down. My mind would be racing about what all I had done that day and what I still had to do. It would take me at least thirty minutes and sometimes up to an hour to finally fall asleep.

I had to do something because this was driving me nuts! I tried writing things down before bed and many other natural ways that have claimed to help many people fall asleep. That’s when I tried listening to music. To make a long story short, using music for sleep worked! Below you can listen to a playlist I use to help me go to bed.

According to Lazlo Harmat, a German researcher who has studied the effects of music on sleep, classical music, particularly that with strings, is most effective for putting troubled sleepers to bed. On of his studies, performed at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, showed that classical music can effectively help stressed out students to fall asleep.

Lyz Cooper, a member of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, says that music with a tempo below 60 beats per minute and without words is ideal for aiding sleep. More upbeat music generally keeps the listener awake.

Here’s our Music For Sleep Classical Playlist:

Nature Sounds and Meditation Music

Nature sounds are my favorite to sleep to. Rain and creek sounds work on me every time! There are all sorts of these on the internet. Try searching for “sleepy music”. Here is an 8 hour example of relaxing music that I love:

Future Tips

After I got in a routine of letting music relax my mind, I started using a white noise machine. I didn’t like falling asleep with my headphones on and waking up in the middle of the night with them still on. I now have adjusted to the white noise machine to sleep with all night, but still get out my mp3 player on some nights when I can’t seem to wind down.

For further research, read about the studies done on music helping older adults fall asleep and music helping to alleviate acute and chronic sleep disorders.

Does this music help you go to sleep? Try out our playlist for yourself and post your experience in the comments below. Also please share any music that you recommend for sleeping (include links to tracks if possible).

 

Author Bio

music for sleepAaron Stevenson is a public educator, health freak, and founder of Snooze EZ, a go-to-source for many sleep related topics. Visit Snooze EZ on Facebook and Twitter.

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