The tandem of music and sleep has many positive effects on us. We tell you different theories that explain how music helps us sleep better.
Who has not ever sung a lullaby to a child to help him sleep?
Music has an undeniable therapeutic effect. It is capable of producing chemicals in the brain that make us feel good, relaxed and even happy.
Throughout history, all cultures and civilizations have used music explicitly or implicitly as a vehicle for expression and for healing purposes .
Greek philosophers believed that music had the ability to restore spiritual harmony.
In the first half of the 18th century, King Felipe V requested the presence of Farinelli , the castrati, every night so that he would sing emotional melodies that helped calm his anxiety attacks . This therapeutic relationship lasted nine years .
It could be said that life is music since our entire body is subject to its vital rhythms. The beating of the heart , the beat of the breath and even how the blood flows through veins and arteries, are physiological phenomena full of rhythm.
To understand how a song can help us rest better , we must consider its ability to generate well- being and relaxation in us.
And it is that the different melodies can stimulate our physical, cognitive, emotional and social functioning .
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes.
1. How does music help us sleep?
2. Relaxing music that reduces stress
3. Does the Mozart effect exist?
4. Beyond Amadeus
5. A completely different approach
6. Music to fall asleep. Eight hour lullaby
1. How music helps us sleep
Music has a physiological effect on us that goes a long way to explaining why it is so apt to help us rest .
Brain waves are slower and more uniform when listening to music. There are quite a few studies that have shown that people who listen to relaxing melodies at least 30 minutes before going to sleep, rest better .
This type of music, especially classical music , is characterized by the fact that it follows a rhythm of 60 units of time or “beats” per minute . In this way, we enter a state of consciousness in which alpha waves predominate and, in some cases, even theta waves .
To understand us, alpha waves are the ones that take place in our brain when we are calm and in harmony. And theta waves are produced in periods of maximum creativity, meditation and during sleep .
In addition, the rhythm of 60 beats per minute synchronizes our heart rate, slowing it down and thus reducing both physical and mental stress . Another factor that helps us sleep. It is as if the beating of our own heart does not lead to the “ rest zone ”.
Therefore, it is not by chance that we can easily find CDs or playlists with melodies to sleep. These are songs that carry this rhythm. Sleep music YouTube is very much impressive effects on sleep.
Would you like to try it? Search songs at a slow pace of between 60 to 80 bits per minute. These are usually ballads or classical music .
The music streaming service Spotify carried out a curious survey to identify the most listened to sleep playlists .
He discovered that the British singer Ed Sheeran is the most requested when it comes to getting to sleep . And it is that, music and sleep form a perfect alliance to rest.
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2. Relaxing music that reduces stress
Blood cortisol levels increase when we are going to undergo surgery . Also other hormones such as prolactin or growth hormone.
All of them are known as stress hormones . This is the reason why many operating theaters operate with background music .
In fact, numerous studies have shown that music has a powerful anti-stress effect . It has even been seen that it can replace certain drugs that are administered before an operation, to relax the patient.
The same goes for endorphins , opioid peptides that function as neurotransmitters in the brain. Listening to music increases and with it an effect of joy and relief for pain and stress .
In short, the right music has the ability to regulate the levels of certain substances in our body and is excellent for reducing tension and stress. The positive effect this has on sleep is undeniable. The couple « music and sleep » works perfectly.
” I can’t listen to music too often, it makes me want to say nice, stupid things and pat people on the head .” Lenin .
3. Does the Mozart effect exist?
You’ve probably heard of it. The basic idea is that children, including babies, who listen to Mozart’s music are more intelligent .
