The connection between music and sleep
Whether on the morning drive or getting through the workday, most people listen to music regularly throughout the day. However, there may also be a connection between some types of music and sleep.
Here we will explore that connection and look at ways to use music to get the most from your rest.
Music affects the body and brain
Most of us can think of a way music affects our body. If you think of a bouncy song with a fun rhythm, your foot may start tapping. Maybe you hear a silly song and it puts a smile on your face.
Behind every upbeat, happy song there are actually some brain functions at work. The brain responds to music in a number of different ways. The brain may send signals to the body in response to a song that change the heart rate, make us breathe quicker, or even fire off certain centers in the brain that make us feel deeper emotional states.
But the response to music may go even deeper than that. Some types of music may even change the way we think or feel. A basic example here is listening to a sad song and then feeling sad yourself.
Because music affects everyone in a different way, the possible responses are near endless.
Listening to relaxing music
While no one will respond the exact same way, there are some general trends when people listen to certain types of music. For instance when listening to slow, relaxing music, the music may actually:
- Lower your heart rate and slow your breathing rate
- Relax tense muscles
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce anxiety and improve mood
- Reduce stress and stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline
- Increase relaxing hormones such as serotonin
The overall response is to make you feel more relaxed and calm, matching you to the feeling of the music.
Listening to music to fall asleep
Listening to music throughout the day or at night to wind down from a hectic day may help keep you calm and relaxed, but what about while you sleep?
Turns out, yes! For some people, listening to relaxing, quiet music as they fall asleep may improve sleep quality. It may also improve sleep efficiency, meaning you fall asleep faster and get to deeper states of sleep easier.
Music may also have a cumulative effect. So the more often you use music to help you sleep, the better your sleep becomes! Looks like it’s time to start a new healthy sleep habit.
What else could it be?
It seems like listening to calming music before bed is the way to go.
With that said, some people may find music distracting or may have a harder time falling asleep with music on. If you still aren’t sleeping well, there may be another problem, such as your sleep hardware.
Sleeping on a new mattress and supportive pillow are just as important as any sleepytime playlist. At Mattress King in Oklahoma, we don’t have the best playlist to help you fall asleep. We do have the mattresses and pillows to keep you happily in dreamland – the whole night through.
