Can listening to music improve sleep? Come! Let's listen to hypnotic songs, but be careful of "earworms"

We spend one third of our lives

sleep

Good quality sleep is an important guarantee for health

However, as the pace of life accelerates and life pressure increases

The incidence of insomnia is increasing year by year

Many people like to listen to music to help them fall asleep.

Can listening to music before bed really improve your sleep?

What music can help you fall asleep?

What are the dangers of listening to music with headphones while sleeping?

Will incorrect way of listening to music cause "earworms"?

Today, doctors from West China University of Political Science and Law have revealed the answers one by one.

According to TCM theory, music is closely related to the internal organs and meridians. When listening to music, music can resonate with the internal organs of the human body, regulate emotions, regulate the lungs, and improve insomnia caused by anxiety, depression, etc.

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Modern medical research has found that music can cause various physiological reactions, such as lowering blood pressure, slowing breathing and heartbeat, increasing skin temperature, decreasing muscle potential, skin resistance, increasing blood vessel volume, and reducing the content of norepinephrine and adrenaline in the blood, which may indicate that it can be effectively used to combat lack of sleep .

Relevant studies have shown that the use of different tones of music can stimulate specific areas of the brain, and then through the related nervous system of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, it can achieve the regulation of the immune system, cardiovascular system, respiratory system and digestive system, and can effectively treat insomnia .

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At present, a commonly used clinical method to improve sleep disorders caused by depression is to adopt the mindfulness music care model. Through various specially designed music behaviors, the purpose of eliminating psychological barriers and improving sleep is achieved.

Of course, different types of music have different effects on sleep, and the effects do not occur overnight. In clinical practice, continuous listening for more than 2-30 weeks usually improves overall sleep quality .

Music with fast rhythm and strong drum beats will stir the heartstrings and make people more and more excited as they listen; while sad and desolate music will make people feel depressed, so these are not suitable for listening before going to bed .

Music has the functions of calming emotions and relaxing muscles. The frequency of music is coordinated with the vibration of the human body. It can stimulate the human system better under specific tones. In the treatment of insomnia, it can prolong sleep time, shorten sleep latency, and improve sleep efficiency.

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Studies have shown that pure music that is soothing and peaceful, with a small range of changes, a rhythm of 60-80 beats per minute, and close to the human heart rate is the best sleep aid .

Some friends like to wear headphones when listening to music before going to bed. This improves sleep, but the ears may cause slight pain.

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Wearing headphones to sleep, especially when lying on your side, will cause pressure on the external auditory canal. Over time, the ear muscles will become fatigued, prone to pain, tinnitus and other problems, and may even damage the inner ear.

Therefore, it is recommended that you avoid wearing headphones to sleep as much as possible , and instead use speaker mode to play music, so as to protect your ears while improving sleep.

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In addition, it is recommended to control the volume of the external speaker at 20~30 decibels, and don't forget to set the timer shutdown function (usually within 30 minutes).

The "earworm effect" does not mean that there are worms in the ears, but it is a kind of neural activity in the brain . When the melody of the song enters the ears, it is like pressing the switch of our brain's auditory cortex and waking it up all at once.

To put it simply, it means being "brainwashed" by a melody and "playing" it repeatedly in your mind.

Earworms occupy the brain's working and memory resources. After listening to music for a long time before going to bed, slow oscillation activity in the frontal lobe was detected, which is a sign of sleep-dependent memory consolidation and the underlying reason why earworms disrupt sleep.

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How to get rid of the "earworm effect"? Michael Scullin, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University in the United States, suggested that the timing of listening to music is very important . First of all, you can listen to music in moderation. If you are disturbed by the "earworm", you can try to temporarily stop listening to music before going to bed to observe whether the sleep quality improves, and then decide whether to keep the habit of listening to music before going to bed.

Therefore, listening to music can improve insomnia, but you must also choose the correct method and be careful of "earworms"!

What music are you listening to recently?

What song do you like to fall asleep to?

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Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

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References

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