Did you know that listening to music while sleeping makes the pace of our breathing and heart rate match the beats of the song? Amazing, right?
Do you recall your parents singing you lullabies as a child to help you sleep Listening to music while sleeping is essentially the same thing.
How does music help you sleep better?
In addition to calming your body with its gentle melody, regularly listening to music, especially a song that is within 60 to 80 beats per minute (closely the pace of a heartbeat), will tell your body that it needs to rest because your body is accustomed to dozing off when it hears relaxing music.
It is also proven that listening to music helps you fall asleep quickly because the melody takes your mind off of stress and other distractions and gives your tired brain something else to focus on. Studies show that people with insomnia are able to fall asleep a lot faster with the help of music.
Songs that we enjoy release Serotonin, the ‘happy hormone,’ and Dopamine, the ‘feel-good hormone,’ making it a lot easier to go to sleep. It also stops the ‘stress hormone,’ Cortisol, from keeping you awake at night. According to research, if a song is playing in the background, you are more likely to hear music in your dreams. How cool is that?
General guidelines to remember when making your bedtime playlist
While your bedtime playlist choices are completely up to you, here are a few takeaways to optimize your sleep: the tempo should be between 60 and 80 beats per minute, so that your body can be in sync with the music. Above all, avoid selecting tunes that elicit strong emotional responses such as sadness and anger. Try keeping a positive, soothing vibe to your playlist, and you will see flawless results.
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