The Best Music for Sleep Playlists
Good and bad songs for sleeping, according to science
Some people prefer total silence for a good night’s sleep. Others like some white noise. And music is the answer for many. Yet while some experts sing the praises of music as a sleep aid, the science is not yet in total harmony.
“Music has a solid evidence base as one of the better-researched non-pharmacological sleep aids that can improve an individual’s sleep, both in terms of insomnia and the quality of sleep,” says Thomas Dickson, PhD, a music psychology researcher at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
A 2021 study reviewing five separate clinical trials supports that view, finding that music before bedtime significantly improved sleep quality in people 60 and older. But a separate, compelling experiment, which we’ll get to below, suggests some types of music at bedtime can have the opposite effect.
When music does improve sleep, it’s thought to be due to its relaxing effect, reducing stress and anxiety by slowing the heart rate and breathing rate and lowering blood pressure — all of which, according to other research, is known to help you fall asleep faster and enjoy more efficient, effective, restorative sleep.
