5 Things Meditation Music Does To Your Body While You Sleep

What is meditation music?

As simple as it sounds, Meditation music is a type of relaxing, ambient music that helps you achieve a meditative state. Meditation music has been shown to decrease stress and anxiety and increase the feeling of relaxation. This blog post will discuss five things that meditation music does for your body while you sleep!

Benefits of playing meditation music while you sleep

In addition to what we’ve mentioned above, meditation music helps you with several other conditions. Below are the ways the music improves your bedtime experience:

Meditation music for sleep

You may not believe it at first, but your body’s natural frequency can be tuned by music. This is the same way that meditation music (not any kind of music) can help you sleep better. According to a study published by the Association of Anaesthetists, music in binaural beats ranging from 1 to 4 hertz helps the listener relax and fall into a deep sleep.

So, how exactly does music enhance sleep? It is through mindfulness meditation. To practice this kind of meditation, you need to focus on the current and let go of any other thoughts. By ‘current,’ I mean things like breathing. In fact, there is breathing meditation in which one focuses on inhaling and exhaling for like 20 minutes.

Breathing meditation may be challenging for beginners due to wandering thoughts. An excellent way to tame these thoughts is by listening to calming music as you meditate. This way, you will have conquered mindfulness meditation, which aids fend off insomnia and improves sleep quality.

Meditation music for anxiety

Several studies have concluded that meditation reduces general anxiety and depression. Again this is all tied to mindfulness. Another way that music directly impacts depression is through the release of dopamine.

Dopamine is a hormone produced in our brains and whose low levels are associated with general depression. One study found that when subjected to some favorite music, the brain striatum is stimulated to release more dopamine. The result is an elevated mood, often without the feeling of anxiety.

Meditation music works similarly. It is soft and calm music that soothes the mind. Without the worries, you’ll even sleep better.

Meditation music for stress

Approximately 33% of Americans live with extreme stress. Sadly, this is an uptrend as 48% feel that their stress levels have risen 5 years down the line.

Fortunately, music can bring down these numbers, but only the correct type of music. Research suggests that for music to be able to curb stress, the listener must like the music first, and then the music has to be within a specific frequency range, often 8-14 Hz. This is the perfect recipe for meditation music.

When listening to music with a bpm of around 60, the brain is very likely to sync with the beats. The result is the development of alpha brainwaves. These waves are associated with relaxation and consciousness, which counters stress.

Meditation music for calming

The exact mechanism that reduces stress when you listen to meditation music causes a state of calmness when you listen to the same music. This is from the fact that low-tempo music tracks can reduce your heart rate, in addition to producing alpha brainwaves. This combination relaxes the muscles and calms your mind.

Meditation music for pain

Yeah, you heard it right- meditation music or just music can reduce physical pain. According to Medical Daily, music is observed to reduce pain after surgery. It’s even more interesting than music is a better stress therapy than pills at managing stress and anxiety associated with an impending surgery!

In a surprising revelation, music and meditation have been shown to improve the process of recovery.

Meditation music for focus

Up to this point, there is one important point we’ve not mentioned- music does not work the same for everyone. This is the reason why some people do not agree that meditation music can help you focus better when awake and doing something like studying.

So, how exactly does meditation music help with focus? According to a study by Stanford University, music helps in learning by accelerating the rate at which the brain absorbs information and interprets it.

Regarding the study above, the researchers found that since the brain absorbs information by segmenting it, music increases attentiveness, allowing the brain to even foretell the next bit of data based on the previous inputs.

Now you know how putting on meditation music may help you. But how do you get practice music meditation effectively?

How to practice music meditation

Meditation requires concentration for at least a given period, often a minimum of 20 minutes. Here are the steps to take your music meditation an extra step:

Choose the right type of music:

You need to consider several things regarding your choice of meditation music. It needs to be music you enjoy. This makes it easier for you to relax.

You also need to go for music without the lyrics. The purpose of the music is to disengage the conscious mind, otherwise hard to achieve with lyrical music.

Choose music with a slow tempo. A slow tempo helps bring down your heart’s bpm as well as kill off any anxiety.

Get into a comfy position:

Away from the popular notion that you need to cross your legs or sit in a specific position when meditating, you should only aim for a comfortable position. One person’s comfortable position may be lying down flat, while another person could easily fall asleep in that position.

Once you’ve established your suitable position, you should close your eyes and ease your muscles. You should relax all the muscles, i.e., facial, shoulder, and belly muscles.

Now pay attention to your breathing. Inhale deeply through the nose by expanding the belly and avoiding engaging the chest. Breathe out through the mouth. Breathing should be slow and not forced.

Focusing on the music:

Focusing on the music will not be straightforward at first. You will find your thoughts straying into things you may have associated with the music or imagining the production of that music. If you get to this point, gently shift your attention to the current beats or music, i.e., get into the present moment.

You can also try to perceive how or what the music makes you feel.

Persistent practice:

Initially, thoughts are going to plague your mind when meditating. The easier way around this is to shift your thoughts to the sounds of the current music. Focusing on the physical sensation will help you block stray thoughts, and with time and practice, you will learn how to fully immerse yourself in the music. It’s also going to get easier the more you practice.

Tips to practicing music meditation

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you embark on music meditation:

It’s best to start with a couple of songs and build a playlist as you learn to meditate for longer. This way, you won’t feel the pressure of not exhausting your playlist, which can be interpreted as sub-par in mind.

Some of your favorite music can invoke many thoughts or trigger memories, making it harder to disengage the conscious mind. You can try alternative instrumental music to soothe your mind into a calm state.

Conclusion

Meditation is practiced for a couple of reasons, but you may have learned what more meditation music adds to your mindfulness campaign. If you are experiencing any conditions that meditation music can help with, do not rely on meditation; instead, practice it alongside your physician’s recommendations.