Get to Sleep with Music
Do you have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep? When you’ve had too much stress in your life, your brain will often be racing, producing fast, uneven patterns. For the millions of people who struggle with insomnia, music is a godsend.
- About 30-45 minutes before bedtime, put on some music that you enjoy. Begin with a moderate tempo. Let your brain get “in sync” with the music and go from its active state to moderately paced. Let this music help you to take your focus away from your concerns.
- Now switch to a favorite slower-paced composition and let it guide your mind and entire metabolism to slow down along with the pace of the music. If you feel ready to concentrate on slower music right away, it will be fine to skip the moderate music and go right for the more relaxed tunes.
- After experimenting, you will end up with a set of favorites that tend to produce relaxation and work well for you; some of them may even be lullabies.(Even big babies can benefit from the gentle flow of a lullaby when going to sleep sometimes!)Play your favorite pieces regularly at bedtime.
- Your subconscious will soon begin to associate resting with your bedtime relaxation music and as soon as you hear it you will start to fall asleep very easily. You can use the same music if you wake up in the middle of the night and want to get back to sleep.
Ideally, the two main parts of your nervous system – parasympathetic (governs non-urgent activity that happens while you are at rest, e.g., “rest and digest”) and sympathetic (controls urgent activity, e.g., “fight or flight”) – work side by side to create a balance between relaxation and stress. Insomnia is often the result when the nervous system is out of balance. Even though your intent is to rest and you may be weary, the sympathetic system is on overtime: your body is on alert with muscles tense and blood vessels constricted.
When we listen to music, our minds include that in the equation. Our systems tend naturally to get in synch with the beat and the rhythm. Listening to the even tempo of slow paced music at 60-80 beats per minute helps the nervous system to slow down, too. The sympathetic portion is calmed and the parasympathetic portion enhanced, resulting in relaxation and better sleep.
Let Music Put Your Baby to Sleep
Many new parents experience sleepless nights for the first few months after bringing the baby home. Help is at hand. Music can help soothe a baby to sleep. If you play bedtime music, choose the same tunes each time you put your baby in the crib.
Some Music for Babies, Big and Little…
If you enjoy harp music, you might find my CD, Soothing Lullabies from the Harp, beneficial for bedtime. It is a collection of calming music from around the world, available at www.heavenlyharpist.com/lullaby-cd.htm. Another relaxing CD for getting to sleep is Classical Favorites from the Harp, Amazon.com : Sally Fletcher Classical Favorites