Music fuels my life. Whether I’m writing, reading, working, running, driving or sitting around the house, music is usually flooding my ears or playing softly in the background. Choosing a song or playlist is the first thing I do in the morning, and if I have my AirPods in, you can count on Spotify playing my favorite podcasts.
To me, music is a form of love. It boosts moods, soothes heartache and reaches audiences across language barriers. Music can also help you sleep at night, easing anxiety and lulling you to a peaceful slumber. You can create your own sleep playlist tonight with music that you actually like by following these easy tips.
For even more help sleeping at night, try relaxing yoga poses or natural sleep aids and upgrade your bedtime routine with the 10-3-2-1-0 sleep hack.
Read more: Our Best Mattress Picks for Quality Sleep
What is the most effective sleep music?
The best music to listen to when trying to sleep is slow instrumental or classical. This includes music with popular instruments such as guitar, piano, violin, cello, organ, flute and clarinet (just to name a few). The best sleep music doesn’t have lyrics. Another popular and effective choice for sleep is ambient noise. This genre can be anything from rain sounds to ocean waves. It also includes white noise, like fan sounds, and other colored noise, such as brown, pink or blue.
8 tips for making the best sleep playlist
Here are simple tips to keep in mind when curating your next sleep playlist.
1. Avoid songs that invoke strong emotions
Just because songs on your sleep playlist need to be slower doesn’t mean that they have to be sad. Don’t listen to any songs that make you feel melancholy or cause your mind to wander. Racing thoughts can be hard to turn off when you are trying to sleep. The same can be said for songs that bring to mind vivid memories or feelings.
2. Skip music that is above 80 bpm
The ideal songs for sleep are around 60 beats per minute. A song’s rhythm can sync up with our hearts’ beating, so anywhere from around 60 to possibly as high as 80 bpm is the sweet spot. I recommend creating a playlist that starts with a higher bmp, around 80, and as the playlist progresses, add songs with lower and lower bmps. This can help lower your heart rate to prepare for sleep.
Don’t know the bpm of a song you are trying to add? Check out this tool.
3. Mix it up
It doesn’t just have to be classical music or rain sounds. Try finding some lo-fi, brown noise or even ASMR. Look for slow instrumental covers of your favorite songs (I like this playlist from Spotify). Your best sleep playlist is entirely up to you, and, of course, if you only want one type of music, stick to that.
4. Whatever you choose, make sure you enjoy it
Hate classical music? Skip it. Annoyed by ambient noise or trickling water sounds that others swear by? Don’t even bother. Add the music or sounds you like and invoke peace and tranquility. There’s no need to listen to something you loathe while trying to sleep.
5. Search for already curated playlists
Music apps have already done the work for you and created sleep playlists for anyone to listen to tonight. Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and Amazon Music are just a few examples of apps with readily available playlists. I personally love to use Spotify and regularly listen to its already-made playlists. However, if you are looking for a free version, YouTube is a great choice. A few of my favorite sleep playlists include:
6. Check out podcasts
In addition to countless sleep playlists readily available, music streaming apps also have quiet podcasts, often called “sleep podcasts.” A few popular examples include Sleep with Me, Get Sleepy, Tracks to Relax and Sleepy History. A typical sleep podcast episode is around 70 minutes long and includes guided meditation or storytelling, often hosted by someone with a soothing voice. If you are an avid podcast listener, I bet there’s a “sleepy” version of a topic you like (for example, check out Dead Sleep True Crime for Bedtime).
7. Use a sleep timer
When using music or podcasts to sleep, I often run into the problem of my phone continuing to play while I’m fast asleep. When I wake up from a nap or in the middle of the night, my phone battery is low, and I lose the place I was in my podcast. Using a sleep timer is an easy way to save your battery. Luckily, if you use an iPhone, you won’t have to download any third-party apps. You can find the sleep timer under your Clock app. From there, click on “Timers” and find “When the Timer Ends” under the timer label. If you scroll all the way to below the selected timer tones, you will see “Stop Playing” as an option. This way, you can set your time to however long you would like, and when the time is up, your phone will stop playing Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, etc.
8. Consider comfortable sleep headphones
Sleeping with headphones can be uncomfortable and can hurt your ears. If earbuds are not properly cleaned, they can cause bacterial infections by trapping moisture in the ear canal. Earbuds can also cause earwax to build up. However, headband headphones for sleep go over the ears instead of in them. Side sleepers can lie on their side without discomfort. Our favorite sleep headphones headband is only $20 on Amazon.
You don’t have to settle for poor sleep. Learn how to make the Sleepy Girl Mocktail, know and understand the signs of sleep deprivation and ditch melatonin for magnesium.