In this world, one of the several things that humans need is sleep. Many people, especially college students, do not receive the recommended hours of sleep each night. People can avoid sleep, but they will come to realize that sleep is a necessity. Personally, I am the type of person who needs a mostly quiet and dark environment to fall asleep. This is the way numerous people need to fall asleep, but I often put on relaxing music when taking naps. Since I have been at Penn State, I  recently started trying putting soft music on when going to bed. Once I started doing this, I realized that I have fallen asleep much quicker and easier.

According to Soundscape Music Therapy, music is a factor in that can enhance the duration and quality of your sleep. Research done in various hospitals has shown that people with medical conditions fell asleep easier with music playing. One way music aids us when trying to fall asleep is it blocks out many of the noises that tend to bother us. Annoying sounds from outside or even from the college dorms such as the bathroom toilet or hand-dryer are blocked out much easier when music is playing. These sounds do not become as distracting when music is playing. Our brain becomes less focused on the surrounding environment and more concentrated on the different sounds of the music. Second, music has a rhythmic sound. This means that it has a constant beat that can be followed as opposed to sudden noises that distract us at night (flushing the toilet, sink water running, etc.) like I mentioned before. Third, music can be used as a relaxation technique. Music helps us create images in our mind and helps us focus on these images, helping our minds shut down easier.

Reported by Emma Innes from Mail Online, “Playing sounds synchronized to the rhythm of the slow brain oscillations of people who are asleep boosts their memory and improves sleep quality.” In addition, the music sound allows the length of our sleep (sleep duration) last longer. Dr. Jan Born from a university in Germany, further emphasized this idea by stating, “The beauty lies in the simplicity of applying auditory stimulation at low intensities. Therefore, it portrays a straightforward tool for clinical settings to enhance sleep rhythms.” Dr. Jan Born conducted a study where eleven people were revealed to a variety of sound stimulations. When these individuals were exposed to these sounds, the sounds were shown to be in sync with the brain’s slower movements. The next day, the people in the study had an increase in memory intake. The researchers who helped conduct this study with Dr. Born believe just like how this study helped improve memory retention, it can also help improve sleep.

Another study was conducted published in 2009 by the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Five trials were performed with 170 people. The trials showed that music had a somewhat average impact on their sleep quality. Not only can it improve the quality and duration of sleep over a few nights, it can slowly improve the quality of sleep over a longer period of time. When listening to music, fast and up-beat songs should be listened to because this only will increase your heart beat, causing your body to become more excited. Songs with a soft rhythm and a relaxing tone (Ed Sheeran for example) can be effective in improving sleep.

I am not saying you have to listen to music right as you are going to bed. I am not saying music will help each and every one of you. This tool can be extremely effective in improving sleep, but it will only help some people. Music is not for everyone. Music affects us all differently, but I urge you all to give it a try and see what happens.

Sources:

http://soundscapemusictherapy.com/2012/11/01/can-music-help-me-sleep/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2308114/How-listening-music-boosts-brainpower.html

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/insomnia/a/music_insomnia.htm