Trying to sleep is one of the most challenging things to do for some of us. It's not easy to just shut down your eyes and go straight to slumberland, but did you know that certain kinds of music that helps you sleep?
Aside from its ability to mend a broken heart, motivate a runner to go faster or turn up an epic party. Music is beneficial to your health, sleep and overall well being. Science proved that music could help people fall asleep more quickly while improving sleep quality - making us healthier.
What kind of sound and music, you ask? We are not talking about lullabies here. However, lullabies aren't just for newborns; they're also excellent for grownups like us!
We curated a list of sounds and music to listen to before going to bed. They have different benefits that will help you soothe your mind and body, depending on your taste.
Want to sleep better? Turn up the volume and listen to these soothing sounds that will instantly take you to slumberland.
Classical Music
Ever wonder why it's called the Mozart Effect? Studies have shown that students who listen to classical music before they take an exam perform better. It does not necessarily mean that it automatically makes you more intelligent when listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 40.
It makes you feel more at ease, allowing you to take on a task with confidence. Classical music has a relaxing impact that relieves jitters and uneasiness while also lowering heart rate and anxiety. Therefore making it one of the top choices for music that can help you sleep.
Low BPM Music
If you are not a fan of classical music, pop music is a great alternative. Yes, you heard it right! Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith can put you to bed quickly.
According to Spotify, Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" is the top most-streamed song added on sleep playlists around the globe. The list also includes Sam Smith, Coldplay and Ellie Goulding.
If you want to discover other pop music that helps you sleep better, the main rule of thumb is finding a song with 60 beats per minute (BPM) or less. It's also recommended to listen to songs without lyrics.
If you're unsure how to calculate a music's BPM, try closing your eyes and counting the number of beats for 60 seconds while listening to the song. You can also use sites like songbpm.com to get a more accurate approximation.
Nature Sounds
When you listen to the water flowing down a stream or leaves rustling in the breeze, you get the feeling of clear-headed tranquillity. Researchers claim to have discovered a scientific reason for why natural noises have such a calming influence on our minds:
They modify the connections in our brains; according to a recent study, it lowers our body's innate fight-or-flight instinct.
Our parasympathetic nervous system is activated by nature noises, reducing the heart rate and causing other physiological changes that help sleep. It often makes us remember our calmest memories. Listening to birds chirping, rustling ocean waves, and those poetic raindrops can make a perfect soundtrack to your sleeping routine.
Just go to your favourite music streaming app, and you can find these sounds mixed with string instruments resulting in magical music that helps you sleep.
White Noise
White noise is a lot like the eucalyptus beddings: it elevates your sleep, and you barely notice it's there. White noise is based on sound masking concepts. Our ears have evolved as a kind of alarm system over time.
Your senses will be wide awake, and you become more aware when you hear something, whether pleasant or terrible. When you use white noise to hide those sounds, it combines all of the noises in the background and foreground into a single static object. As a result, your brain relaxes, and you are more likely to fall asleep.
Although white noise has a precise technical definition, it is now commonly used to represent various background noises, such as an air conditioner's hum. It's very effective when masking noises that keep you up at night.
Pink Noise
Pink noise, on the other hand, is a much deeper sound. It packs more bass with lower soundwaves but serves the same purpose as white noise. It filters out everything that might distract you, such as people talking or automobiles passing by, so you can sleep. It's sometimes referred to as ambient noise.
Loud, jarring noise that wakes you up, such as a door slamming, a car horn honking, or someone snoring, is reduced with pink noise. As a result, it may help you fall asleep faster and stay in deep sleep longer. When you wake up, you may also feel more refreshed.
You can find a variety of well-curated playlists using pink noise on Youtube, and they even made an app for it to use offline and play pink noise sounds in the background.
Aside from other bedroom essentials like our eucalyptus beddings and comforters, listening to music before bed might help you sleep better, longer, and with fewer interruptions. Researchers discovered that those who listened to music for 30-45 minutes before bed for three months fell asleep faster, slept more deeply, and woke up feeling more rested.
Also read: How to Choose the Perfect Duvet Covers to ensure a restful sleep.