An Exploration of Bedtime Music Genres and Sleep Quality

Various studies have been conducted to research beneficial sleep practices including audio, such as music or white noise. Younger individuals have access to phones and unique sleep aids that claim to benefit one’s sleep quality. It’s a common enough practice to turn on music to alleviate the mind, guiding it towards relaxation. Surprisingly, there is a lack of consensus on the helpfulness of music, with some studies finding it harms rather than aids. Seeing as sleep is a crucial factor of healthy living, it’s a worthwhile pursuit to discover whether music can improve sleep quality and duration. Our study aimed to investigate the relation between one’s overall sleep quality and the integration of music prior to bedtime. Participants were recruited through Belmont University’s Psychology department, and individuals were compensated by gaining class credit for introductory Psychology courses. Prior to bedtime, the first half of participants were required to listen to three non-lyrical songs (chosen by researchers), and the second half listened to three lyrical songs. The following morning, participants were asked to complete a Qualtrics survey questionnaire. The second night and morning consisted of the same process, simply listening to the other type of songs prior to sleep. After observing participant’s sleep quality after listening to lyrical or non-lyrical music, researchers will analyze the and determine which music type is more beneficial for sleep. Results are projected to reveal that listening to non-lyrical music prior to bedtime is more beneficial for sleep quality because it is found to be more soothing and less distracting when falling asleep