How did the music look to us?
On a physiological level, our breathing and heart rate are reflections of the rhythm of the song. Music can be consumed on our body at a chemical level: for example, listening to pleasant melodies. Increased levels of serotonin, the hormone of happiness.
Listening to music also activates both hemispheres of the brain – the creative right and the logical left – which increases the ability to solve work problems.
Music also fires up the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with long-term memory storage. Warm and pleasant memories are reproduced.
Why listen to music in your sleep
To fall asleep faster. Falling asleep to a pleasant card can help you fall asleep faster and rest better. Probably the way parents lull their children to sleep. And if listening to background noise became just another habit, you could easily fall asleep simply because you accustomed your body to it.
To relax. Often we can’t sleep because a lot of thoughts are running through our heads: the person who cut us off on the road, the dirty dishes in the sink, the to-do list for tomorrow. The inclusion of background tunes relieves a special head from everyday annoyances and gives the brain a chance to focus on something else.
For a good and light mood. The music we like stimulates the production of serotonin. So listening to music helps to increase its level. And in a good mood, falling asleep is easy and pleasant!
The dangers of sleeping with headphones
In fact, there are not so many of them, and all of them are related precisely to the use of headphones – both wired and wireless – and not to the sound of music itself.
Necrosis. If you fall asleep with headphones on, theoretically, the pressure exerted on your ears can, over time, cut off circulation and lead to necrosis—where tissue dies due to lack of blood flow.
Sulfur accumulation. Sulfur is produced in order to protect the ear canal and protect it from foreign particles. Prolonged use of headphones can lead to wax build-up, which in turn can adversely affect your hearing.
Suffocation. If you are using wired headphones, then there is a risk of suffocation. Although, of course, it is unlikely, it is worth keeping an eye on where the wires of your headphones are.
What songs are best for sleep?
Ideally, you want songs that most closely mimic your heart rate. Look for songs in the 60 to 80 beats per minute (BPM) range. If you’re not a DJ enough to figure out how much BPM a song has, you can try looking it up on songbpm.com. Experiment and don’t forget to try even more upbeat tunes before bed.
So is it necessary to fall asleep without music?
If you’ve had a long day and find it hard to relax, turn on a pleasant tune before bed – this helps slow down your heart rate and breathing if you choose slower and more soothing songs. So you can relax and fall asleep sweet sound sleep.