There are plenty of things to listen to before you fall asleep: a rain machine, ASMR, the hum of a comfort TV show, or the chatter of your own thoughts. If none of that sounds appealing, though, there are some songs that can help you drift off to dreamland, and it's been called the ultimate sleep playlist.
The lullabies were collected by experts at bedding brand Bed Kingdom, who used Spotify's Playlist Miner tool to search for keywords like "sleep," "bedtime" and "tired" to determine what people listen to while winding down at night. . After scanning nearly 10,000 playlists, they found songs from artists such as Coldplay, Mitski and Cigarettes After Sex topping the charts.
Do these songs have one thing in common? Slow tempos, ethereal instrumentation and understated lyrics - all these factors can soothe 15% of people with insomnia. As someone who falls into this group, I've tried everything from deep breathing techniques to green noise to midnight mind games designed to help fall asleep. I have a lot of go-to techniques, but my relaxation routine almost never includes listening to music.
Music wakes me up more than anything else, especially when it has catchy or thought-provoking lyrics. Even so, I'm ready to try the Ultimate Sleep Playlist to see if it can work its magic. After all, a good Spotify playlist never lets me down.
these songs
What you add to your playlist is very personal, and needless to say, the music and lyrics affect everyone differently, but I can still see why some of these songs make great bedtime tunes: Each song contains With its relaxing vocals and slow tempo, it has been described as dream-pop slowcore and melodically warm bedroom pop.
It's the same type of soothing music you might listen to while working—looking at you, Lofi Girl—but it's also the perfect combination of a well-known band with well-known lyrics that may feel familiar and comforting.
Topping the ultimate sleep playlist is "Apocalypse" by Cigarettes After Sex, which appeared 623 times on sleep-themed playlists due to its calming vibe, according to Bed Kingdom. (94 times per minute.)
Other shortlisted songs include Coldplay's "Sparks" and "Yellow," Mitski's "My Love Mine All Mine," Patrick Watson's dreamy "Je te laisserai des mots," and the lo-fi tune "rise the Moon." Author: Liana Flores Put it all together and you get a soporific soundtrack.
- The "revelation" of cigarettes after sex
- "Sparks" by Coldplay
- Je te laisserai des mots by Patrick Watson
- "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron
- "My love is mine" by Mitski
- "Fourth of July" by Sufyan Stevens
- "Romantic Murder" by d4vd
- "I'm all about her" by Salvia Pals
- "Sunsetz" by Cigarettes After Sex
- "The moon has risen" by Liana Flores
- Neighborhood’s “Daddy Issues”
- "Yellow" by Coldplay
- "K." Smoking after sex
Try the ultimate sleep playlist
To test them out, I added these songs to a playlist and turned them on while I was relaxing. Revelation provides the perfect relaxing atmosphere as I dim the lights and go to bed. This happens to 10 out of 10 people. It also blends nicely into the similarly slow-sounding “Sparks.”
That said, "Je te laisserai des mots" is one of my favorites. The lyrics were in French, so I didn't find them distracting as I lay there with my eyes closed. Piano is great too, because nothing says "it's time for bed" like the gentle tinkling of the keys.
However, just as I started to drift off, the rest of the playlist started playing and it suddenly felt like I was listening to the closing credits of the saddest movie ever.
While Sufjan Stevens' "Fourth of July" has appeared hundreds of times on Spotify sleep playlists, the lyrics are a bit too emotional for me, as is "The Night We Met." ”, “My Love Is Mine” and “Daddy Issues”.
Personally, I like to unwind by watching relaxing TikToks and comforting TV shows, so despite the superficial coldness of the remaining songs, the picture they painted in my mind was far too dramatic.
I feel like I need to cry, call my ex, and maybe even have an existential crisis instead of falling asleep.
takeout
There's quite a bit of research showing that listening to music, whether it's happy or sad, can help you fall asleep at night, but it seems like the science doesn't apply to me.
I understand why these dreamy, atmospheric songs can relax some people, but I have to save them for the day. Until then, you can catch me watching The Great British Baking Show .
Research reference:
Magid, N.M. (2021). Does listening to music before bed improve subjective sleep quality and well-being the next morning in young adults? A randomized crossover trial. Psychomusicology: Music, Mind, and Brain. doi:10.1027/pmu00000283.
