Can music help you sleep better? The science behind sleeping and music

If you’ve found yourself tossing and turning at night, chances are you may have put on some relaxing music to clear your head and help you drift off to sleep. But why exactly does music seem to help us get a better night's sleep? 

Many studies have found a strong link between music and healthy sleep. In fact, music as a treatment for short-term and chronic sleep disorders has been built on the ‘healing’ properties that music has been found to provide throughout human history. Different music resonates and causes different physiological responses in all of us. 

Choosing the right music, for the right occasion makes all the difference. Music can help us relax, but can also increase physical stamina and performance if it’s energizing and upbeat. It’s up to you to find out what makes you feel relaxed, soothed and calm. So once we’ve got the right tunes, how exactly can music help us improve the quality of our sleep? 

How music affects your mind and body 

It turns out lullabies might be beneficial to all of us, not just in our early years. When you think about it, it makes sense. Why did our parents sing to us to calm us down? Well just like those lullabies, music affects the production of neurotransmitters, hormones, cytokines and peptides. Together, this elicits responses that promote positive emotions and alleviate stress. 

Lowering cortisol levels 

When we alleviate stress, the level of cortisol in our bloodstream lowers. As this happens, our body is more easily able to trigger the release of serotonin that contributes to making us feel sleepy. So, music can be a tool that promotes this chain reaction. We feel relaxed, cortisol lowers, serotonin increases and we’re more likely to have slowed breathing, lower heart rate and blood pressure, eased muscle tension and reduced stress and anxiety that let us slip into a good night’s sleep. 

Improving sleep quality for everyone

While general studies have been conducted, there’s also research into specific age groups that finds music improves sleep quality for children, young and older adults. Music also helps us fall asleep more quickly, which is important in our body learning to associate our bed with a place of relaxation and recovery, as opposed to stress and restlessness. 

Music may also contribute to a better night's sleep for adults that suffer insomnia. Insomnia can either leave us having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. This relates to our sleep efficiency, or the amount of time we spend in our bed versus how long we’re actually asleep. If this efficiency begins and continues to deteriorate, we may be more at risk of chronic sleep and health conditions. 

How music affects mental and physical health 

Music can impact upon physical, psychological and emotional states, which explains why music has such strong links to memory and why it features so frequently throughout significant events in our life. This is why people will remember the first song they heard live, or which song was playing when they had their first kiss. Like music affects and makes us feel nostalgia with regard to emotions, it can also improve our physical and psychological health.

Sleep loss and recovery 

Sleep deprivation has been linked to a number of mental and physical health issues, with effects evident after only a single poor night’s sleep.  What’s promising is that music has been found as a plausible tool in battling poor sleep, with studies seeing reduced anxiety levels and even reductions in the amount of physical pain reported. A Danish study also found music may help patients in intensive care units get daytime rest, where sleep is so essential to recovery. 

Music, immunity and sleep

It’s well documented how sleep can benefit your immune system, but how does music help too? Well, a study indicated that music increased both immunoglobulin A, an antibody that has a critical role as part of the immunity of the mucous system, and natural killer cell counts. These cells attack invading germs and bacteria. The resulting boost to our immune function is beneficial to our overall physical and mental health. 

What should I listen to?

The type of music that helps you feel relaxed, soothed and calm comes down to personal preference. However, generally speaking, there are a few commonalities in the types of music that help most people with sleep. 

Keep it slow 

Slow music, or songs with a tempo of about 60 beats per minute are ideal. Our body comes into tune with the music we’re listening to, and as our bodies are overcome with a sense of calm we’ll find it easier to drift into a good night’s sleep. You might try classical or jazz music. If you’re looking for somewhere to start, search on your favourite streaming service for a sleep playlist. Or if you’d like to start making your own, you could check the beats per minute of songs to shortlist at songbpm.com. 

Go Instrumental

For sleep, it's generally best practice to stick to songs with no words. When we’re trying to enter a relaxing state, it’s easy to get distracted by the lyrics in songs. That won’t help as it’ll trigger your brain to remain active. Going instrumental or lyric-free can ensure you’re not hindering your chance at a good night's sleep. 

Keep emotions out of it

When you’re trying to enter a relaxing state, it’s important to steer clear of the emotions that can keep us awake and make us feel anxious. It’s best to steer clear of any music that evokes strong emotions, whether that be positive or negative. This gives us the best chance of getting to and staying asleep. 

Music helps, but it’s not everything

While music can certainly help us get a good night's sleep, it’s not the be-all and end-all. And with as many as 90% of Australians suffering from sleep-related disorders, there are certainly other tips that can help us all. If you’re struggling to get a good night's sleep, you can read about some of our top tips for good sleep here. 

If you’re experiencing persistent disruptions to your sleep, consult with a pharmacist to discuss possible solutions.

Any advice provided in this content is of a general nature and does not take into account your objectives, health or needs. The information in this post is not intended to substitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be exclusively relied on to diagnose or manage a medical condition. You need to consider the appropriateness of any information or general advice we give you, having regard to your personal situation, before acting on our advice or purchasing any over-the-counter sleep product.