tunes for your mood In these studies conducted to see the relationship between music and stress, most researchers had the subjects listen to classical music. However, try listening to different songs to help you stress less and sleep well! From the famous classical to the obscure and calming – try listening to these tracks to help you relax!
To see what type of music calms you, test out the iso principle theory: match your music to your mood and gradually change it to shift your emotions. Start by listening to different calming types of music such as:
deep sleep: In a 2013 study published in the Journal
of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, young adults with different levels of sleep sensitivity were evaluated when they slept. The control group did not listen to any music while sleeping, while the other group listened to sedative music. From the results, the researchers found that the group that listened to sedative music had a prolonged period of deep sleep in the second stage of the sleep process, where heart rate starts to slow, and third stage of the sleep process, as the body transitions from a light to deep sleep.10
sleep quality: In a review conducted by the
total wellness ▪ winter 2014
International Journal of Nursing Studies in 2013, the results of 10 randomized studies were analyzed to determine the effect of music therapy on adults. From the studies, which passively applied music to improve sleep quality in adults, they found that the subjects who listened to music while sleeping experienced better quality sleep. This was subjectively measured using questionnaires and a polysomnography, a test that records bodily functions during the sleep cycle. The study concluded that music could possibly aid in the sleep quality of patients with sleeping problems, although further research is needed.11 t w
38
Für Elise – Ludwig van Beethoven What a Wonderful World – Nat King Cole La Vie en Rose – Edith Piaf Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd Plasticities – Andrew Bird Zebra – Beach House Tiger Mountain Peasant Song – Fleet Foxes
› › › ›
Classical artists like Beethoven or Mozart Music with wind instruments Drumming music Ocean sounds
References 1. “Stress Management- Causes of Stress.” webmd.com. (2011). 2. “Study finds lack of sleep, excessive computer screen time, stress and more hurt college students’ grades.” 1.umn. edu. (2008). 3. “Q&A On Stress for Adults: How it affects your health and what you can do about it. ” nimh.gov. (2011). 4. “The Effect of Music on the Human Stress Response.” PLoS One. (2013). 5. “Relaxing music prevents stress-induced increases in subjective anxiety, systolic blood pressure, and heart rate in healthy males and females.” J Music Ther. (2001). 6. “Music to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for coronary heart disease patients.” Cochrane Summaries. (2009). 7. “Music and Academic Performance.” Behav Brain Res. (2013). 8. “What is Music Therapy.” musictherapy.org. (2013). 9. “Composite Effects of Group Drumming Music Therapy on Modulation of Neuroendocrine-Immune Parameters in Normal Subjects.” Alternative Therapies. (2001). 10. “Sedative Music Facilities Deep Sleep in Young Adults.” J Altern Complement Med. (2013). 11. “Music therapy improves sleep in acute and chronic sleep disorders: A meta-analysis of 10 randomized studies.” Int J Nurs Stud. (2013).
left(in order): liangpv/istochphoto; original illustration by jessica sun
music and sleep
› › › › › › ›