Falling asleep to music: effects on the brain


If you are having a hard time falling asleep in the last period you should try to do it with music. Falling asleep to music helps the mind to relax and indulge in dreams. Sounds strange, right? has even highlighted the positive effects of music on sleep quality. Of course, it must still be said that not all pieces of music produce the same results.

In this article we will see together what are the positive effects of music on the quality of sleep and relaxation and which genres and musical authors to prefer to fall asleep without having difficulty.


Falling asleep to Music: Like some music, it promotes sleep

Not being able to sleep at night or having a hard time falling asleep are common problems. The cause is largely due to the frenetic rhythms to which we are exposed – or rather overexposed – of the lifestyle we follow and the spasmodic and unconditional use we make of mobile devices at any time of day or night. Since then there are the stories on Instagram and WhatsApp then … we don’t really talk about it …

Unfortunately, however, all these habits negatively affect sleep and the results are those of spending whole nights in sleep, being able to sleep only for a very limited time or waking up continuously during the night.  

The good news is that on balance there are few people who suffer from actual insomnia, which must be identified as a total lack of sleep, most people actually suffer from inability to sleep.

This inability to fall asleep in many cases is due to another inability, that of knowing how to detach your head from thoughts and finally allow yourself some rest.

If this is also your case then yes: falling asleep to music is just for you!

In fact, clinical studies have shown that listening to 45 minutes of relaxing music before going to bed helps to fall asleep, as long as its rhythm is 60 bps per minute.

This happens because as you fall asleep listening to music, your heartbeat slowly begins to follow the rhythm of the musical notes and slow down until it reaches 60 beats per minute, a heart rate that slowly leads to relaxation and sleep.

But the positive effects of music on the body do not end there.

Besides the heartbeat there is another thing that will slowly start to follow the rhythm of the music and you know what talking about? Breathing ! _

Breathing is such a natural act that we don’t even notice, but if we paid attention to our breathing we would immediately notice that it changes according to our mood and vice versa.  

When we discuss with someone and the tones become animated, the breathing also changes and the breaths become faster and shorter.

Music at a physiological level in addition to the heartbeat also affects breathing and after a few seconds from the beginning of the musical piece, music and breath will synchronize with each other and the breaths will become slower and deeper. Obviously as long as the music is relaxing.

Some pieces of music also affect our body chemistry and can also help improve mood, making us feel happier.


Falling asleep to music: an exercise to free yourself from thoughts and sleep better

At the end of a day, there are a thousand disordered thoughts that can harbor in our mind preventing us from relaxing: that discussion at work, that deadline that we are not sure we will be able to meet, that bickering with the partner… all headaches struggling in the our mind to receive attention.

The result? Simple, even tonight we don’t sleep!

If you also can’t sleep due to too many thoughts going around in your head, you could try a simple exercise. Tonight when you go to bed choose a relaxing song that you like, put a soft light and if you like a few drops of lavender essential oil on the pillow. When the environment is ready, go to bed, close your eyes and start focusing only on the breath.

Begin to inhale slowly for a count of 4 and slowly exhale for a count of 4. When you inhale the thoughts come up and when you exhale the thoughts slowly go away. Continue 4 more times. If you feel the need, repeat the exercise for another 4 times or until you feel the head become lighter and the thoughts have gone away.

This exercise may seem difficult at first but you will find that as you try it slowly you will begin to feel relaxed, free from thoughts and ready to sleep.


Falling asleep to music: what not to do

As you read at the beginning of the article, the secret to falling asleep to music is choosing the right song. So no to all the pieces of music that are too fast or too rhythmic, the right choice must fall on the songs of 60/80 bpm per minute.

Another thing to avoid before falling asleep to music is doing it with the earphones in your ears and / or setting the volume too high, two habits that over time could cause both hearing and ear problems.


Falling asleep to music: the best artists to do it according to science

A little curiosity. According to what science has shown following a survey, classical and New Age music are not the only ones capable of relaxing people and promoting falling asleep. And this could be great news for all those who just can’t suffer classical or too slow music.

There are also Apps that offer their users ready-made playlists entirely dedicated to sleep and relaxation … in this case, all you have to do is experiment with their selection and see if you like it and it gives the desired effects.


Natural remedies you can add to music to help you fall asleep better

As you read at the beginning of the article, insomnia is a fairly common problem that afflicts a large part of the world’s population. Before resorting to the hard way and using “synthetic” products, you can try to solve the problem with natural remedies that can help you fall asleep without creating addictions or that annoying feeling of confused head in the morning.

Refer in particular to plants such as ValerianHopsEscolzia and Linden, which have always been used – for their relaxing and soothing properties  to counteract sleep disorders. Wonderful plants that work well on their own and even better when they work in synergy, as they do in the formulation of Serena Notte Salugea, a 100% natural supplement that induces sleep and frees the mind from anxiety and stress.

Other good habits to follow to fall asleep are:

  • go to bed only when you really feel the need to sleep
  • avoid going to bed with smartphones and PCs
  • avoid eating too large meals before bedtime
  • avoid doing physical activity late in the evening, better to play sports within the early hours of the afternoon

SleepWell

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