Research Spotlight · Sleep
Music at bedtime
Soft, wordless music for the end of the day. Set the timer, let it fade on its own.
What the studies found
Some- The 2022 Cochrane review (13 randomized trials, 1,007 adults who had trouble sleeping) found that listening to music at bedtime improved how well people rated their sleep, by 2.79 points on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The reviewers rated this moderate certainty.[1]
- The earlier 2015 version of the review (6 studies, 314 people) found a similar improvement.[2]
- No side effects were reported.[1]
Who took part
Adults who had trouble sleeping, listening to calm recorded music, usually 25 to 60 minutes a night, for days to months.
Funding
The included trials were funded by national research councils, universities and one private foundation; five did not report funding.[1]
References
- Jespersen KV, Pando-Naude V, Koenig J, Jennum P, Vuust P. Listening to music for insomnia in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022;8:CD010459. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36000763/ · 13 randomized trials, 1,007 adults.
- Jespersen KV, Koenig J, Jennum P, Vuust P. Music for insomnia in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(8):CD010459. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26270746/ · 6 studies, 314 adults.
Research summaries are for interest only. ARK Sounds is music for enjoyment, not a treatment. These studies are about kinds of sound in general; none of them tested ARK tracks.