Introduction
I don’t know even a single person in my life who doesn’t listen to music. However, we think of music, it’s mostly for the times we want to dance or enjoy ourselves. But did you know that a certain kind of music can help you sleep as well? Deep sleep music is the kind of music that calms you down and helps you feel relaxed. You can listen to some soft melodies, instrumental music, or some sort of mantra or chant that can improve the quality of your sleep.
“Music brings us pleasure and releases our suffering. It can calm us down and pump us up. It helps us manage pain, run faster, sleep better, and be more productive.” -Alex Doman [1]
What is Deep Sleep and its Importance?
When we sleep, we don’t just get to the stage where we don’t know where we are. It all happens in stages. The stages that sleep occurs in are [2]:
Wakefulness:
When you are fully awake and alert.
NREM Stage 1: When you are in light sleep, transitioning between wakefulness and sleep.
NREM Stage 2: When you are a little deeper in sleep with lesser body activity.
NREM Stage 3: When you are absolutely in a deep sleep. This stage is crucial for physical restoration.
REM Sleep:
When you start dreaming phase. This is the stage that helps your memory and thinking processes.
Deep sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep or NREM (non-rapid eye movement) stage 3 sleep, is a crucial phase of the sleep cycle. It plays a vital role in improving our health overall. But let’s see why it is so important [3]:
- Physical Restoration: Deep sleep helps repair the tissues of our muscles and improve our immunity and muscle growth. After a good night’s sleep, you would be able to notice that your illness and wounds have started healing better. All that happens in the deep sleep stage.
- Cognitive Function: I remember that the night before my exams, my mother would tell me to sleep early. The reason why she would say that is because she knew that if I would sleep early, I’ll have a deep and sound sleep. The deep sleep stage helps us with learning and memory. While sleeping, our mind is able to replay everything that we have experienced. So, if you spent your day studying, your brain would pick up images of your notes and replay them while you are in the deep sleep stage. However, this is only possible once you reach the deep sleep stage.
- Hormone Regulation: Deep sleep also helps in regulating hormones, specifically our stress and appetite-related hormones. It is because of this that people say that if you are under stress, take a nap. However, if you face any disturbances in sleep, you will be more in stress, and even your appetite can increase, leading to weight gain and further adverse issues with hormones.
- Energy Restoration: On a day when you feel physically exhausted, you are able to sleep quickly. This is so because your body knows that once you reach the deep sleep stage, you will be able to recover from the exhaustion of the day and regain the energy you put in. Doing so also helps in promoting overall strength and stamina.
What is Deep Sleep Music?
Deep sleep music is the kind of music that helps you relax. It is specifically composed in such a way that you can get a good night’s sleep and allow your mind and body to repair itself.
As a kid, my mother used to sing lullabies to me, and within a few minutes, I used to get into a state where I was unaware of where I was. Then, I would wake up feeling happy and excited. While as a kid, I didn’t know what was happening. I just knew that some music could help me sleep better.
So as an adult, I started to experiment with what kind of music worked best for me. I tried melodies, instrument music, slow tempos, white noise, brown noise, etc. Finally, I realized that chants helped me the best. So if you are new to understanding deep sleep music, go ahead and experiment with it. The basic idea of using deep sleep music is to trigger a meditative state, and then slowly, you can enter the deep sleep stage [4].
How Can Deep Sleep Music Help You Sleep Better?
Deep sleep music works on multiple levels and can help you change a lot of aspects of your life [5]:
- Deep sleep music helps you to calm down and relax, which lowers your stress levels.
- It can help your racing heart to stabilize, reducing the heart rate and blood pressure.
- If you live in an area where there is a lot of noise at the time you sleep, then deep sleep music can help you in ignoring that noise and disturbance by blurring it.
- Deep sleep music helps to coordinate with the brainwave activities that promote overall well-being.
All these factors combined can create an environment where you can experience the most restful sleep of your time. An added benefit is that you will wake up fresh and ready to conquer the world.
Read more about- ADHD and Sleep Issue
What is the Best Kind of Deep Sleep Music to Fall Asleep?
While there is no one-size-fits-all policy when it comes to deep sleep music, the best kind of music to fall asleep to is your own personal choice. But let me share the kind of music you can choose from [6]:
- Slow Tempo: Music with a slow tempo can help you relax and lower your heart rate. For example, all acoustic songs will come under this category.
- Instrumental or Ambient Sounds: Our mind can think 90 thousand thoughts a day. But, using music without lyrics or minimal vocals can help reduce the racing thoughts. As the thoughts slow down, you will be able to slip into the sleepy stage easily. For example, the series ‘Bridgerton’ has a lot of instrument music. Although they use it for ball dancing, you can probably see if it works for you to sleep.
- Nature Sounds: You know how some weather conditions make us feel lazy and sleepy? Natural sounds, by themselves, are quite relaxing. You can find sounds of rainfall, forest sounds, ocean waves, gentle winds, etc., to create a soothing and peaceful environment. I used to love the sounds of waves during my experiment with deep sleep music.
- Soft Dynamics: You might have visited hotels that play some gentle, soft music in the background while you wait patiently in the lobby. These soft and gentle sounds help you feel very relaxed. Using these sounds for sleeping can help you ignore the sudden loud sounds and help you stay asleep.
More information about- How meditation music help to maintain inner peace
Where Can You Find Deep Sleep Music?
Deep sleep music is widely available through various sources, allowing you to find them easily [7]:
- Online Music Platforms: Music platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, etc., offer existing playlists for deep-sleep music. If you like one of the sounds best, you can play that single track all night.
- Mobile Applications: There are many sleep-based mobile applications you can find on your app store or play store, like Calm, Relax Melodies, etc. These apps can help you choose from multiple options. In some apps, you can even customize certain sounds. United We Care is one such example where you can find deep sleep music to choose from.
- Online Communities and Forums: Online communities and forums dedicated to sleep and relaxation often share recommendations and resources for deep sleep music. Since these recommendations would be tried and tested, you would know that they work. You will just have to see if they work for you or not.
- Meditation and Relaxation Websites: You can find separate websites that just focus on helping you find the best meditation and deep sleep music for you. These websites can either give you the option to listen to the music for free, or you can download them.
As I said before, just look into what works for you. Be patient and experiment before settling for one deep sleep music that you are able to sleep restfully to and wake up feeling fresh.
Must read- A restful night
Conclusion
Music has the power to change our thoughts. Deep sleep music is the kind of music that can help you feel absolutely relaxed and stress-free. These feelings can help you have a restful sleep and wake up feeling fresh. Restful sleep can help you repair your body and mind, thus, developing good health and overall well-being. Just be patient in finding the best deep-sleep music for yourself and experiment with a few till you find one.
If you face any sleep-related concerns, contact our expert counselors or explore more content at United We Care! At United We Care, a team of wellness and mental health experts will guide you with the best methods for your well-being. Additionally, you can join the Sleep Wellness Program and Advanced Wellness Program for Sleep Disorders at United We Care.
References
[1] MixTheoryStudios, “Wellness Music Opens New Doors – Mix Theory Studios,” Mix Theory Studios, Apr. 20, 2021. https://mixtheorystudios.com/blog/wellness-music-opens-new-doors/
[2] A. K. Patel, V. Reddy, K. R. Shumway, and J. F. Araujo, “Physiology, Sleep Stages – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf,” Physiology, Sleep Stages – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf, Sep. 07, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526132/#:~:text=Sleep%20occurs%20in%20five%20stages,stage%20a%20progressively%20deeper%20sleep.
[3] M. S. Blumberg, J. A. Lesku, P.-A. Libourel, M. H. Schmidt, and N. C. Rattenborg, “What Is REM Sleep?,” Current Biology, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. R38–R49, Jan. 2020, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.11.045.
[4] C.-F. Wang, Y.-L. Sun, and H.-X. Zang, “Music therapy improves sleep quality in acute and chronic sleep disorders: A meta-analysis of 10 randomized studies,” International Journal of Nursing Studies, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 51–62, Jan. 2014, doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.03.008.
[5] G. T. Dickson and E. Schubert, “How does music aid sleep? literature review,” Sleep Medicine, vol. 63, pp. 142–150, Nov. 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2019.05.016.
[6] “What Is the Best Music To Listen to While Sleeping? | BetterSleep,” What Is the Best Music To Listen to While Sleeping? | BetterSleep, Sep. 18, 2022. https://www.bettersleep.com/blog/what-is-the-best-music-to-listen-to-while-sleeping/
[7] “Sleep Music To Help You Fall Asleep Like A Baby! Try Tonight,” Art Of Living (United States). https://www.artofliving.org/us-en/meditation/sleep/sleep-music