Music improves sleep through calming parts of the autonomic nervous system, leading to slower breathing, lower heart rate, and reduced blood pressure. Many people with poor sleep associate their bedrooms with frustration and sleepless nights. Music can counteract this, distracting from troubling or anxious thoughts.
“Optimal sleep hygiene would be to not listen to anything and allow your mind and body to relax naturally as, once you fall asleep, the sound of music can interrupt the healthy sleep stages our brain and bodies need to go through,” says Lauri Leadley, a clinical sleep educator and Valley Sleep Center president.
Music psychology researchers share an opinion on the subject, and their answer is absolutely positive – yes, music can help you sleep. In recent years, many scientists have found proof that listening to music at bedtime can help both fall asleep faster and improve general sleep quality.
Well, listening to audiobooks while sleeping might just be the answer for you. Not only does it improve your knowledge, but it also enhances the quality of your sleep.
As per studies, slow music or classical music is more relaxing that can help you sleep. Classical music or instrumental music can help slow the pulse and decrease levels of stress hormones. Relaxing music triggers changes to the body and, in many ways, mimics a sleepy state.
Studies found that 'Weightless' was 11% more relaxing than any other song, outdoing the likes of Mozart, Enya and Coldplay.
#1 White Noise
At the top list for any sleep sound is white noise. Far from a catchy tune, white noise is just a tone, offering a sleep sound that can help your brain relax, your eyes grow heavy, and your body drifts off to deep-sleep dreamland.
If you're wearing headphones or earbuds for a prolonged amount of time, you should keep the volume around half the maximum or lower. The rule of thumb is if someone is standing within arm's reach, or is lying next to you when wearing headphones or earbuds to bed, they shouldn't be able to hear your music.
Plugging hard plastic earbuds, like AirPods®, in your ear may not be terrible in the short-term, but falling asleep with them could add discomfort. Plus, in-ear earbuds can lock moisture into your ear canal, especially if you're headed to bed right after a shower.
One of the primary reasons why music sounds better at night is because there is generally less ambient noise. During the day, there are numerous sounds and distractions, such as traffic, construction work, and people talking, that can disrupt our listening experience.
It provides a total brain workout. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
Frequent exposure to sound over 70 decibels (dB) can cause hearing problems and hearing loss over time. The louder the sound, the quicker it can cause damage.
Musical ear syndrome (MES), also known as musical tinnitus, is a disorder where patients experience musical hallucinations, such as singing or melodies without a physical source. Unlike hearing a song in your head, people who experience this perceive the sound as coming from an outside source.
Studies have shown that the sound of rain can help to slow down heart rate and breathing, which can lead to improved sleep quality. In addition, the sound of rain can help to mask other noises that may be disruptive to sleep, such as traffic or household appliances.
Listening to (or making) music increases blood flow to brain regions that generate and control emotions. The limbic system, which is involved in processing emotions and controlling memory, “lights” up when our ears perceive music.
Is it bad to sleep with your phone beside you? Yes, usually speaking, it's not a good idea to sleep with your phone nearby. Sleep quality may suffer if you keep your phone close to your head while trying to slumber because it emits electromagnetic radiation.
Sleeping with socks on may not be for you if you have circulatory issues, swelling of the feet, or other issues that could potentially increase the likelihood of socks restricting blood flow to your legs and feet. As always, make sure to talk to your doctor about if sleeping with socks on is right for you.
Luis Buenaver, director of the Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program at Johns Hopkins, said he generally doesn't suggest people fall asleep with headphones on. “Having something like physically in your ear or wrapped around your forehead can be disruptive,” he said.
“Earphone usage should not exceed more than an hour per day. Make sure you limit your usage and keep ear pain or hearing loss at bay,” recommended Dr Agarwal. So ladies, don't forget to take a break from your earphones.
Sleeping with earbuds can hurt your ears if you sleep on your side because the plastic pushes into the side of your ear. Sleeping on your back eliminates this issue. If you like to sleep on your side, then consider a super soft pillow or a pillow with extra neck support to relieve the pressure on your ears.
How long is too long? Duration of exposure to noise is also a major factor when examining headphones and hearing loss. “As a rule of thumb, you should only use MP3 devices at levels up to 60% of maximum volume for a total of 60 minutes a day,” says Dr. Foy.
Often, having a 'standby' sound keep your brain company as you fall asleep is better than silence because silence is more easily and effectively broken with random sounds. When you have sounds playing, the interruption is less noticeable and may not interrupt your sleep at all.
While more research is needed, recent studies suggest listening to music, nature sounds, white and pink noise, meditation soundtracks, and tracks utilizing autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) triggers may help people sleep.
People with anxiety tend to be on high alert... The use of pink or brown noise may reduce their reactivity to those little sounds in their environment and support calming, sleep, or even concentration. The frequencies picked up in pink noise fall between white and brown noise and are also thought to aid in sleep.