Nearly 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder, with 30% experiencing short term insomnia and 10% living with long-lasting insomnia. If you have trouble falling asleep yourself, be reassured that there are ways to improve sleep hygiene and get a longer, more restful sleep.

Sleep music and relaxing sounds improve sleep by making you feel more relaxed and at ease. As a baby, lullabies soothed us into a slumber and as adults, we can mix sounds and music in the BetterSleep app to create the perfect sleep soundscape.

Why Does Music Help You Sleep?

Studies have shown that music does improve sleep quality in acute and chronic sleep disorders. It’s thought this is because music can reduce pain and stress, both of which are leading causes of insomnia.

Music soothes the nervous system, lowers cortisol (a stress hormone) and increase oxytocin (a positive hormone). Listening to music at the same time every night can have a cumulative effect according to experts. Over time, sleep will continue to improve, even after three weeks.

Proven Sleep Sounds to Promote a Deep Sleep

• ASMR. Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation starting on the top of the head and sometimes moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. ASMR sounds include whispering, scratching, tapping, purring and much more, which has an almost sedative effect.
• Binaural beats. Different frequencies are played into each ear, but the brain perceives them as one fixed sound. Binaural beats therapy is used to combat anxiety and stress and has a positive effect on sleep health.
• White noise. Sounds of all different frequencies are combined together to create white noise. The constant, ambient sound, reduces background noise and helps the listener to drift off into a deep sleep. Examples of white noise include TV static or a whirring fan.
• Nature sounds. These are other forms of white noise, like waves crashing, rain beating down and the wind howling. Nature sounds can be extremely calming and help to create the perfect sleep soundscape.

Mix Unique Sleep Sound Combinations on the BetterSleep App

The BetterSleep app has hundreds of soothing sounds, isochronic tones, binaural beats, solfeggio frequencies and relaxing music for you to mix and match together. A few effective combinations include:

• Sleep music and ocean waves. Choose from a range of healing music, deep sleep tunes, soft piano and more, combined with the soft lull of crashing waves. This combo is guaranteed to send you off into a deep slumber.
• Sleep music and rain. There’s something so calming about the continuous hum of rain. Combine it with the Wandering Star or Space Journey ambient beat music selection to drift off quickly.
• Rain and thunder sleep music. Have you ever been mesmerized by a storm? According to research, nature sounds including rain and thunder, have a relaxing effect, reducing our fight or flight response and promoting a good night’s sleep.