Jamming to your favourite tunes after a tiring day is the chosen form of relaxation for many. And while music is a great way to wind down, it may not be great at helping you fall asleep quickly.
Surprised? Let’s see what science has to say.
Researchers in the US investigated the relationship between listening to music and sleep. Led by sleep researcher PhD Michael Scullin, the team studied a mechanism called involuntary musical imagery, or “earworms,” which is when a song or tune replays over and over in a person’s mind.
The study found that our brains continue to process music even after we’ve turned off the player, and apparently this also happens when we’re asleep. The experimental study published in Psychological Science discovered that those who experience earworms regularly at night — that is once or twice per week — were six times more likely to have poor sleep quality than the non-earworm crowd.
Surprisingly, the findings suggested that instrumental music, that many might consider harmless, led to even worse sleep quality and nearly twice as many earworms. The study’s findings contradict the common notion of music as a hypnotic that may help you sleep.
The lead author cautions people to avoid listening to any music before bedtime and instead, engage in a cognitive activity like solving crosswords or decision making to clear your brain of annoying earworms.