Science-Backed Ways To Find Your Ideal Relaxing Bedtime Playlist

Looking for the ideal wind-down song to get you into bed feeling calm, relaxed, and ready for deep sleep? Here's your science-backed checklist:

Music preferences are largely personal, and a song that appeals to one person might be totally off-putting to the next. This is in part because of the memories that music can evoke, explains Greg McAllister, a senior sound experience manager at Sonos who helps craft the company's sleep stations for Sonos Radio.

He adds that we also might crave different tunes from one night to the next, depending on the day we've had. This means that there isn't one song or series of songs that will appeal to everyone, all the time, and we should first consider the type of music we enjoy when crafting our personal bedtime soundtracks.

He says we can use these parallels to our advantage by seeking music that sounds like the emotional experience we're trying to have. If you want to relax for bed, for example, think of how the voice of someone who is tired would sound: soft, steady, and straightforward. McAllister adds that smooth music with notes that gradually rise and then fall again can also register as reassuring and soothing.

Again, music choice is personal. But Bowling and McAllister both note that songs with lyrics will likely be too distracting for most people's bedtime routines. "It's resource-intensive to process language," Bowling explains, adding that lyrics will light up different parts of the brain than tones alone. Research has found that catchy choruses that get stuck in our heads can be especially disruptive to sleep. You're probably better off listening to something instrumental instead, especially right before bedtime.

According to the Iso Principle in music therapy2, if you're looking to evoke a certain mood, it's beneficial to first play music that matches the mood you're currently in. So if you're anxious after a long day, you'd want to put on a song that mimics that feeling (tight, short notes with dramatic rises and falls) and then slowly transition into calmer and calmer tracks. "It's like holding somebody's hand," Bowling explains. Apps like Spiritune, which chooses music based on your current and desired emotional state, do this automatically—but those with an extensive music library can also try it themselves at home.

We all have those songs that make us cry immediately or pump us up on the spot—a clear demonstration of the power of music to shift emotions. We can use this to our advantage by strategically playing music that sounds like how we'd like to feel throughout the day. Come bedtime, that will probably be soft, slow, smooth, and melodic instrumentals perfect for drifting off to dreamland.