Should you listen to music before bed?

What baby doesn’t love a soothing lullaby? Well, it turns out that babies aren’t the only ones that benefit from listening to lullabies. Adults can get a lot out of them too. Relaxing in bed at night while listening to soothing music is not just acceptable, it’s encouraged. It makes for an incredible relaxation technique. Listening to music before bed is one of the best ways to relax and step into your favorite, relaxed mood, and boost your sleep quality naturally.

How listening to music before bed help you sleep better 

It’s not quite known why music helps us to sleep better at night. It could have something to do with how relaxing a beloved song is. It could also be that music triggers the release of serotonin and other “feel good” chemicals in the brain.

It can also have physical effects on your body too. The right music may reduce your heart rate, slow down your breathing, lower your blood pressure, and relaxes your muscles.

These are some of the same changes that occur in your body as you relax to go to sleep, making listening to music at bedtime a great way to get quality sleep at night.

Listening to the right music before you go to sleep

Of course, some types of songs are better than others when it comes to inducing sleep. In fact, songs that have a slow rhythm of around 60 to 80 beats per minute (BPM) will be very helpful, our approximate heart rate when falling asleep.

You will notice many streaming services have playlists with sleep music that has 60 to 70 BPM songs. This means it’s a lot easier than ever before to go to sleep.

Of course, not any old music will do. Music that evokes positive memories can help. You are also more likely to relax for sleep, listening to calm, soothing music with which you are familiar with and that you enjoy.

It’s worth doing a bit of experimentation to see what works best for you as we’re all different.

When it comes to music genres, look for classical music, mellow songs, folk songs, and even jazz.

Look also for a string-based instrument as the main lead in the music, as well as minimal percussion and bass. These are some of the types of music that may help you become sleepy.

If you aren’t sure how many beats-per-minute a particular song has, then you can find it out easily enough with a quick Google search. If you feel up to it then you could also use a stopwatch to find out yourself. Or, you could keep things simple by using a sleep music app.

Make a habit out of it

Listening to music for about 45 minutes prior to bedtime may help you fall asleep. When incorporated into your good sleep hygiene routine, listening to music before bed can improve the overall quantity and quality of your sleep.

Don’t worry too much if you don’t notice the benefits right away. They don’t happen overnight. Keep at it because it may take a while – up to three weeks – to see a noticeable improvement.

One thing we can say is that listening to music at night really does pay dividends in sleep quality. Putting on music helps you to get to sleep faster, stay asleep during the night, and wake up feeling better rested.

Final Words

Listening to music before bed can help you sleep better.

The great thing about listening to music to sleep better is that it works for everyone. It works for babies, toddlers, teenagers, adults, and elderly alike.

Just consider giving this idea a try and listen to music before you go to sleep every night. It’s therapeutic and it can help you a lot more than you might imagine.

App stores are packed full of sleep apps that contain a lot of music designed to help you sleep at night. Try out a few of those and see what music before bed helps you sleep better at night!