Why Relaxation Music Can Help You Fall Asleep.

As soon as we feel like we’re doing something good for ourselves and taking care of ourselves, it has a positive effect on our well-being and we relax. This works, among other things, with sleep music. Since time immemorial, certain sound waves have signaled danger to our bodies, while others have calmed us. Neuromusicology shows that music and sounds not only increase the mood-boosting hormones serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin, but can also reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn can help with problems falling asleep.   

More and more websites and YouTube channels promise to evoke specific moods and states of mind with various music mixes lasting several hours. You’ll find everything here, from nature sounds for meditation or concentration to relaxation music for falling asleep. Many of these videos contain what are known as binaural beats. Binaural beats have been used in the U.S. since the 1970s.  

A binaural beat is an acoustic phenomenon. It occurs when the left and right ears perceive two different tones at similar frequencies, and the brain then generates a third tone. The frequency of this perceived tone lies exactly in the middle of the two tones heard. The perceived tone is produced only when each ear is exposed to a different sound. That’s why stereo headphones are essential for using relaxation music to help you fall asleep. 

Sleep is characterized by specific frequencies in our brain activity. These frequencies are most strongly synchronized during deep sleep: so-called delta waves (0–4 Hz) and theta waves (5–8 Hz). So if the occurrence of binaural beats can trigger widespread synchronization of nerve cells within a desired frequency range, it stands to reason that sleep can also be influenced in this way. It would be wonderful if listening to a specific frequency could lull us into a state of deep, restful sleep. Unfortunately, not all studies find synchronization resulting from binaural beat stimulation. The duration and exact timing of the sounds play a significant role. In addition, the effect depends on personal factors that are not yet fully understood. A team of researchers was able to show that musical stimulation produced a positive mood and high sleep quality in athletes. However, these results are difficult to generalize to the general population, as there are too many studies with sometimes contradictory findings.

Pleasant sounds, such as soft music or the sound of waves, can help block out unfamiliar and distracting noises while falling asleep. Some people also turn to audiobooks. However—similar to earplugs—you may find that over time, you have a hard time falling asleep without these additional sounds. This is called the habituation effect.