Have you ever put on a song and felt your mood instantly shift? Beyond the soothing sounds and catchy beats, more and more people realize the power music has to help change our emotions and even behavior. Now, it's easier than ever to find songs to help calm you down and wake you up, and even ones to help you sleep better. And for people suffering from sleeping issues, it's a game changer. Research has even shown that music can help improve the sleep quality of patients with sleep disorders.
And that just leaves one question, what is the best music to fall asleep to that works? Keep reading to learn about the four best types of sleep music you can try tonight.
1. Healing sleep music: Solfeggio frequencies
Solfeggio frequencies are specific sound tones that are used to help heal different aspects of mental, physical, and emotional health. The healing powers of these frequencies are even proven by research.
Different Solfeggio frequencies can offer various healing benefits when you listen to them before sleep. For example, 432-hertz sleep music is proven to slow down your heart rate, while 528-hertz sleep music can reduce stress.
When you listen to music that uses Solfeggio frequencies, you may not even hear them! You can also layer them on top of other types of relaxing sleep music to combine their benefits.
2. Instrumental sleep music
Instrumental music uses real instruments and typically doesn’t include vocals. Of course, not all instrumental music is appropriate for sleep — some can be upbeat and energizing. But slow-paced instrumental songs can help you relax without getting distracted by lyrics or other types of vocals.
Piano music and orchestral music fall under this type of sleep music. Classical music like Mozart and Strauss can help lower blood pressure more than pop music. But other types of music, like Celtic melodies, can also work well to help you wind down before bed.
3. Sleep music with nature sounds
Do you tend to fall asleep better when you turn on a fan or listen to other types of white noise? Or do you find that you fall asleep faster when you hear the rain tapping on your roof? If so, sleep music with nature sounds or other sound effects could be a great choice to help you feel asleep. In 2017 researchers at Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS) found that participants who listened to natural sounds increased their rest-digest nervous system activity (associated with relaxation). They also found that people who listened to natural sounds had more of an outward-directed focus of attention. However, artificial music resulted in a more inward-directed focus of attention (a similar state observed in people with anxiety and depression). They found that individuals who showed the greatest stress before listening to nature sounds showed the greatest relaxation. However, those who were already relaxed saw a slight increase in stress when they listened to natural and artificial sounds. The takeaway? If you're stressed, odds are you'll find this natural music relaxing.
Picture yourself listening to a soothing melody while hearing the calming sound of ocean waves washing over you. That’s just one of the possible combinations you can use. In the BetterSleep app, you can combine nature sounds that you enjoy with sleep music to create the perfect relaxing ambiance you need to rest.
4. Sleep music waves: Binaural beats and isochronic tones
Solfeggio frequencies aren’t the only types of peaceful sounds that can promote healing and better sleep.
Binaural beats are two different frequencies that each play in one of your ears. When you listen to these two separate tones at the same time, your brain automatically creates a third "beat." You can only listen to binaural beats using headphones (so you can listen to the two different frequencies at once), so if you only use speakers to listen to music while you go to sleep, your brain won’t be able to perceive the beats.
Different frequencies of binaural beats can help you with different effects. Sleep music works better using Theta waves (3-8 Hz) and Delta waves (0.5-3 Hz).
On the other hand, if you don't want to doze off with headphones on, you can listen to isochronic toneswith or without headphones because they don’t rely on two separate beats. Instead, they’re single tones repeated at specific intervals that are evenly spaced.
While isochronic tones haven’t been studied as much as binaural beats, some preliminary studies noticed that these beats could help improve anxiety and stress levels.
If you're struggling to fall asleep or to get to that restorative deep sleep state, test out which music works best for you! Once you find the best tracks to help you fall asleep, you can even make a playlist to go back to each night.
Did you know that the BetterSleep app offers music with these sounds? Try BetterSleep for freeto listen to many relaxing music choices — you can even edit your sound mixes to create the perfect sleep environment!
