Music can greatly impact our emotions. It can help us stay alert, make us happy, or promote relaxation and better sleep. Certain melodies and frequencies can help relax the mind, reduce stress, and pave the way for deep sleep.
The right playlist can significantly improve your sleep quality, from soft instrumentals, to nature sounds and ambient melodies. Luckily, finding the perfect sleep soundtrack is easier than ever with platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Amazon Music, where you can find sleep-centric playlists catered to your preferences.
Keep reading to find the best relaxing sleep playlist to help you drift off into dreamland tonight, regardless of your sleep chronotype.
- 1. Deep Sleep Playlist, Spotify
- 2. Slumber Waves, Amazon Music
- 3. Sleep Sounds, Apple Music
- 4. Relaxing Sleep Music, YouTube
- 5. Ambient Sleep Sounds, Spotify
- 6. Weightless, Marconi Union
- 7. Sleep With Me Podcast
- 8. Sleep Stories, Calm App
- 9. Sleep Radio
- 10. Sleep Meditation, Apple Music
- FAQs: Best Music for Sleep
- Wrapping Up: Best Playlists for Sleep
1. Deep Sleep Playlist, Spotify
Spotify’s Deep Sleep playlist offers a curated mix of tranquil melodies and ambient soundscapes to help you get a restful and rejuvenating sleep. It offers 328 songs and about 15 hours of music that provide a backdrop to help you disconnect from the stress of the day and drift into a deep slumber.
2. Slumber Waves, Amazon Music
If you’re an Amazon Music subscriber, try the Slumber Waves playlist, consisting of 10 songs and 23 minutes of serene sounds. Tailored for those looking for a harmonious blend of tunes, it invites relaxation to promote better sleep.
Each track is chosen carefully to ensure a seamless transition to maintain a consistent ambiance. However, because it’s so short, don’t forget to put it on repeat to listen to it throughout the night.
3. Sleep Sounds, Apple Music
The Sleep Sounds playlist on Apple Music offers 14 hours and 15 minutes of 250 songs designed to facilitate deep sleep. This playlist offers atmospheric tracks designed to whisk you away from the day and into dreamland while promoting deep relaxation. And, with a long run time, it offers an uninterrupted sleep experience throughout the entire night.
4. Relaxing Sleep Music, YouTube
The Relaxing Sleep Music video on YouTube offers 3 hours of ambient tunes to help you relax. As a video, it also offers an immersive experience, merging visuals with sound. However, this may be disruptive to individuals who prefer to sleep in total darkness. All the music is created by composer Peder B. Helland, known for his peaceful music designed to help you relax.
Unfortunately, if you’re listening or watching on YouTube, you’ll have to contend with potential disruptive ads unless you become a Premium subscriber.
5. Ambient Sleep Sounds, Spotify
The Ambient Sleep Sounds playlist on Spotify offers some of the best music to sleep to. Like others on this list, it offers a harmonious blend of melodies designed to induce deep relaxation and restfulness. This curated collection offers 87 songs and lasts for about 3 hours, allowing you to drift back to sleep easily if you wake up in the middle of the night.
The songs featured in this playlist have a soft quality with ambient sounds, slow tempos, and tranquil instruments to create an atmosphere more conducive to sleep.
6. Weightless, Marconi Union
Perhaps the best playlist for sleep isn’t the best playlist at all — it’s a single song. Weightless by Marconi Union was deemed the most relaxing song in the world. A recent study found that listening to this song resulted in a 65% reduction in anxiety.
Though it’s not technically a playlist, you can play the song on repeat throughout the night to induce sleep and help you stay asleep while reducing overall stress.
7. Sleep With Me Podcast
The Sleep With Me Podcast, created and hosted by Drew Ackerman, features bedtime stories for adults. This podcast isn’t your typical compilation of calming tunes; instead, it uses a narrative style reminiscent of the bedtime stories we were lulled to sleep with as children.
The narratives in this podcast shift focus and offer a consistency that you may find relaxing. However, listening to a podcast to help you sleep isn’t everyone’s cup of chamomile tea. You might find the podcast distracting if you prefer soothing melodies. However, this podcast could be the perfect solution for those who prefer a comforting bedtime story and a gentle voice.
8. Sleep Stories, Calm App
If you subscribe to the Calm app, you can access Sleep Stories to help you fall asleep. These stories emulate the same types of stories you were told at bedtime as a child, but they’re designed for people of all ages.
By subscribing to the Calm app, you can gain access to an extensive library of sSleep sStories ranging from fairy tales and folklore to narrations about nature. These stories are narrated by different voices, including some celebrities, and are created to help you fall asleep peacefully.
Beyond these sleep stories, Calm also features curated playlists that focus on relaxation and meditation, including ambient music, nature sounds, and guided meditations.
9. Sleep Radio
Sleep Radio isn’t a playlist but offers the best music for sleep 24/7 for listeners worldwide. The uninterrupted flow of tranquil tunes, ambient soundscapes, and gentle rhythms is curated to minimize jarring transitions to maintain a peaceful experience all night long and prevent sleep deprivation. And, unlike other radio stations, there’s no DJ, so you won’t have to worry about your relaxation being interrupted by someone speaking.
10. Sleep Meditation, Apple Music
The Sleep Meditation playlist on Apple Music features 100 songs and lasts around 48 minutes, giving you just enough time to drift off to sleep and provide complete quiet for the rest of the night. The compositions range from gentle instrumental melodies to guided meditations, all designed to promote relaxation.
FAQs: Best Music for Sleep
What is the best music to listen to when sleeping?
The best sleeping music for you largely depends on your preferences. Some individuals prefer to sleep with white noise and find music for sleep distracting, while others prefer harmonious melodies and rhythms. Typically, ambient music is the best sleep music because it promotes relaxation.
The best music to sleep for you might even be the music of nature. The gentle patter of rain, rhythmic crashing of ocean waves, and soft whispers of a forest can induce a state of calm.
Piano and acoustic guitar can also induce a state of relaxation. Without lyrics that may engage the mind, keeping it alert, these instruments offer soft melodies to lull you into a peaceful sleep. Others may prefer classical music that spans various tempos. Pieces by Claude Debussy and Erik Satie are typically characterized by their gentle pace and dreamlike melodies.
Jazz and bossa nova are two other good options. Bossa nova was inspired by samba music, offering soft beats and a relaxing tempo. This genre and jazz can be calming when played at slower tempos, with the soft saxophone melodies of jazz and the gentle strumming of bossa nova.
Where can I find the best sleep playlists?
You can find the best music for sleep in the same places you find your favorite tunes — music streaming platforms. Some of the most popular include Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Tidal, and Pandora.
Apple Music has a large library of curated playlists, including those tailored for sleep, featuring calming instrumentals and ambient soundscapes. On the other hand, Spotify is one of the most popular streaming platforms in the world, with a vast range of sleep-focused playlists curated based on mood, genre, and sleep cycles.
If you don’t want to pay to subscribe to something, you can always rely on YouTube, though you’ll have to deal with ads throughout the playlist if you don’t upgrade to a premium subscription. YouTube hosts an extensive array of sleep music channels, including everything from nature sounds to ambient music channels.
Tidal is a lesser-known platform that offers immersive listening experiences and caters to those who put sound quality above all else. While its library isn’t as extensive as others on this list, Tidal provides a variety of sleep playlists that ensure a restful night of sleep.
Of course, there are also other apps, such as the Calm app and Sleep Radio app. Sleep Radio is a free app, while Calm offers some free features, including select Sleep Stories.
Can you wear headphones when sleeping?
Wearing headphones while sleeping generally isn’t recommended because it’s not safe. In general, you don’t want to use headphones or earbuds all night long because it reduces airflow to your ear, potentially causing ear infections. In addition, listening to sleep music too loudly for long durations can cause noise-induced hearing loss.
Sleeping with headphones can also be dangerous if they have cords. Wired headphones pose a strangulation risk because they can get tangled around the neck while you sleep.
Some headphones are designed for wear while sleeping, making them safer alternatives. However, the safest way to enjoy bedtime music without risk is to use a smartphone or another device, like your computer, and connect it to a Bluetooth speaker. By placing the speaker at a safe distance from the bed, you can ensure the volume is at a comfortable level. Keep in mind that using apps can drain your battery, so you may have to keep your phone plugged in throughout the night.
What music genres are bad for sleeping?
While many genres can support sleep, some genres can be too stimulating. For instance, rock music tends to have more aggressive beats that can be too stimulating for your mind. Similarly, pop is designed to uplift and energize, so it’s usually better to use it to help you wake up in the morning.
Techno music is also designed to be invigorating, featuring fast tempos and a thumping bass, which can elevate your heart rate and make it difficult to fall asleep.
Wrapping Up: Best Playlists for Sleep
Whether you prefer the serene ambiance of nature sounds or melodies of ambient tunes, the right sleep playlist can significantly improve your sleep. The lull of slow, soft melodies sets the stage for deep sleep, helping you fall asleep faster and stay asleep throughout the night.
Unfortunately, the perfect sleep environment doesn’t rely only on what you hear. Many more factors can affect your ability to get quality sleep, including your bedroom paint colors, temperature, sleep hygiene, and mattress. Layla’s Memory Foam Mattresses are designed to ensure comfort and optimal support, enhancing the relaxing effects of your favorite sleep music.
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