Best Music To Sleep By | Calming Music For Sleep

Music Can Help You Sleep

Foremost, research shows that the right music can improve sleep from the first night. It can aid sleep by helping you feel relaxed and at ease. Music can help you fall asleep faster and increase the time spent in bed sleeping. However, it is essential to use music as a part of otherwise healthy sleep hygiene. More on that further down in the article, but you want music. Let’s get to sleep.

Top 5 Albums To Slumber Off To

If you are willing to spend some coin on this or already subscribe to a streaming service, you have access to virtually all the music in the world. That opens the door to an incredible amount of quality music that is great for sleeping. I have made a selection for you with my favorite albums, and I have taken care to mix it up a little to make sure that you find something to your taste. You will find classical, jazz, ambient, and some stuff difficult to place in a category. Enjoy and sleep tight.

Tom Middleton - Spatial Sleep Music

Tom Middleton - Spatial Sleep Music

This is the latest album from British sound designer/composer/music producer Tom Middleton. This guy makes science-led functional music for wellness and sleep, and his albums are fantastic. This album is brilliantly designed, with relaxing melodies perfectly combined with ambient sounds. A beautiful piano and harp in the background of a crackling fireplace on a rainy day. This is a continuous mix, so there are no gaps. Just an hour of chill. Give this one a try.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/6Ifo4VtUVq1a3evYQ6zMtM?si=lS9qL1w4Rpm1W5UZLxFTyg

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Max Richter - Sleep

Max Richter - Sleep

This album needs to be mentioned when talking about albums that are good for sleeping. The name of the album says it all. Eight and a half hours of music made for sleep. You have probably heard music from Max Richter at some point, whether you know it or not. He is a German composer and pianist that has made tons of soundtracks for big box office movies and also makes music for opera and ballet if you’re into that. This is classical music blended perfectly with slow and easy electronica. This is your safest bet. The only risk is that you might find it a bit boring. But you want to sleep, right?

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/0JLN7JryQ2T7lBEYIrSQF1?si=8NnwpMtUQYmcP4XCs9eubA

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Brian Eno - Apollo

Brian Eno - Apollo

This guy is a must on any sleep-related list. He has been going for a long time, making ambient and relaxing music since the 70s - and has countless albums. My favorite is this dreamy, spaced-out album from 1983. This album was initially released as the soundtrack to a documentary about the Apollo space missions. The ambience you get in this album makes you feel space - and the moon. The album cover is a closeup of the moon's surface. A journey to the moon might be exactly what you need in order to slumber off.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/1Z2jkEtW5Sc9wWVxUgyG0E?si=Sv71qgFwR36opAo0KRGWhA

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John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman

If you are into jazz, you know that these musicians have a hard time not jamming away and going off the charts now and then. While that can be interesting at a bar while drinking some whiskey, it is not necessarily that great for sleep. John Coltrane is an absolute legend, and he is my favorite jazz musician by far. For this album, he has teamed up with ballad singer Johnny Hartman, and it is incredibly beautiful. They even manage to keep it completely mellow (almost) all the way through. They do wind it up a little a couple of times, but it shouldn’t be enough to stir your slumber.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/5e3mq4TT4RLn4VXfgKV6MU?si=cGto4IyTSLy3V7mgslIQpA

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Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission

Bohren & Der Club of Gore - Sunset Mission

If you want it darker and heavier, this one is for you. This is a German quartet of former hardcore punk musicians playing what they call “doom-ridden jazz music.” While that may sound a bit much for sleeping, this album offers an amazingly full soundscape and some beautiful tunes—mellow piano and saxophone over heavy ambiance. Dark is not necessarily bad when you want to sleep.

Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3CrWNG2oqbEBHKAqfZP6CO?si=j8Lptf43Qx2Bd6ubOm1aig

The Original Sleep Radio Channel

Now, this is a gem. If you have an internet radio, you can simply search for "Sleep Radio," and you can listen to calm ambient music around the clock.

This is a donation based radio channel broadcasting from New Zealand - accessible for anyone with an internet radio - or you can stream directly from their website or through their Android app.

Meditation & Mindfulness Apps

Another place you will find calming music is within meditation and mindfulness apps. These apps offer much more than just music, but if you struggle with sleeping - you may benefit from adding mindfulness or meditation to your life, if you haven’t already done so. But I will focus on the music here.

Still Not Sleeping? Try This

Now for the most important question - is this sleeping music working for you? Hopefully, you are fast asleep already, but if you are reading this - you are most likely not. The thing is that music makes up only a part of a good bedtime routine, and there are several things you can do to reinforce what you are already doing now that you are already trying music. Here is a list of things you can try when going to bed as suggested by the Sleep Foundation:

• Decide on a Set Bedtime
• Leave the Electronics Alone
• Have a Light Snack or Bedtime Tea
• Take a Warm Bath
• Listen to Music
• Stretch, Breathe, and Relax
• Practice Meditation
• Read a Good Book
• Write down a To-Do-List or a Journal
• Prep Your Bedroom

These are great tips on preparing for bedtime, but you can also work on a bigger picture. The first point on the list above is deciding on a set bedtime - and to expand on that, you could benefit from keeping a consistent sleep schedule, waking up, and going to sleep around the same time every day.

Physical activity during the day, whether it be walking, running, or hitting the gym - will expend energy and help you relax when evening comes.

If you are doing all this, and still having trouble sleeping, you might want to start keeping a sleep diary to track your sleep issues - and take this with you to see a doctor.