If You Want to Sleep Better & Improve Your Brainpower, Try Music!
by SixWise.com
Ever find that playing your favorite CD after a hard day, or listening
to your favorite radio station before you go to bed, is soothing or actually
helps put you in a better mood? There's a reason why many people are inherently
drawn to music, and that's because music is far more than just noise in
the background--it can actually help you to sleep better, improve your
brainpower, reduce stress and more.
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Listening to your own sleep "lullaby" will have you sleeping
like a baby.
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And this news couldn't have come at a better time, as a poll by the National
Sleep Foundation found that three-quarters of American adults report problems
with sleep. And as anyone who's ever had a restless night's sleep knows,
not getting enough sleep can wreak havoc on your ability to function the
next day.
Said Richard Gelula, the National Sleep Foundation's CEO, "People
who sleep well, in general, are happier and healthier ... But when
sleep is poor or inadequate, people feel tired or fatigued, their social
and intimate relationships suffer, work productivity is negatively affected,
and they make our roads more dangerous by driving while sleepy and less
alert."
Fortunately, another study, published in the February 2005 edition of
The Journal of Advanced Nursing, found that older adults with sleep problems
who listened to soft music at bedtime reported a 35 percent improvement
in their sleep. The participants slept longer and better, and had less
daytime dysfunction, after listening to 45 minutes of music before bed.
"The difference between the music group and the control group was
clinically significant," said Hui-Ling Lai, lead author of the study.
"The music group reported a 26 percent overall improvement in the
first week and this figure continued to rise as they mastered the technique
of relaxing to the sedative music."
If you're interested in trying this technique out for yourself, Sixwise.com
highly recommends the SleepEasy
CD, which has guided sleep meditations by a leading meditation expert,
Mary Maddux, and music by a renowned meditation music composer with 20
years experience. The CD contains both the Sleep Easy guided meditation
with music in the background, as well as a track of music alone, which
can be used at any time for its relaxing effect.
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Music has real affects on our mood, stress level, and even our
ability to tolerate pain.
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Music, Your Brain, and Your Mood
Music is not only good for sleeping, it's also good for your brain, according
to a study published last year in the journal Heart & Lung. Researchers
found that people who listened to music while they exercised performed
more than twice as well on a verbal fluency test than people who listened
to no music. The test was designed to challenge the part of the brain
that deals with planning and abstract thought.
Said the study's lead author, Charles Emery, " ... Listening
to music may influence cognitive function through different pathways in
the brain. The combination of music and exercise may stimulate and increase
cognitive arousal while helping to organize cognitive output."
Further, music can have an amazing impact on many aspects of our health,
including our mood, stress level and even ability to tolerate pain. There's
even a growing area of study called music therapy, in which music therapists
work in medical and mental hospitals, day care centers, senior centers
and more to help people with health problems ranging from Alzheimer's
disease to acute and chronic pain.
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Sleep Easy With the Ultimate Soothing Music &
Meditation CD on the Market!
Sleep Easy CD: Guided Meditations for Deep Rest. With guided
sleep meditations by a leading meditation expert, Mary Maddux, and
music by a renowned meditation music composer with 20 years experience,
this CD will help you find deep rest and sleep ... at an incredible
price.
Sleep Easy CD users have reported:
- Falling asleep faster
- Waking up less throughout the night
- Falling back to sleep faster when awakened during the night
- Feeling more rested the next morning
Some Recent Testimonials
"I was surprised by how quickly I drifted off to sleep
... The music is phenomenal, ethereal. Mary's voice has a musical,
relaxing and trance-inducing quality. There was a difference, also,
in the quality of my sleep. Upon awakening, I felt more rested."
-- SR, Mother, CA
"I fell asleep more easily with the CD--not sleeping with
all this stuff on my mind and all the unfinished business of the
day. The music is relaxing, calming, nurturing ... "
--Kitty Alder, Energy Consultant, NE
Limited
Time: FREE Shipping!
Read More About the Sleep Easy CD Now!
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According to the American Music Therapy Association, music can be used
to:
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Reduce stress (either by making music, such as drumming, or listening
to music passively for relaxation)
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Provide support for exercise
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Assist a woman with labor and delivery
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Alleviate pain in conjunction with anesthesia or pain medication
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Elevate mood and counteract depression
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Promote movement for physical rehabilitation
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Calm or sedate a person to induce sleep
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Relieve fear or apprehension
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Lesson muscle tension
As Americans are constantly on the go, whether at work, with the kids
or even during our "off time," one of the most popular uses
for music is simple relaxation. If you're looking for a perfect CD to
relax to, we recommend the Pure
Relaxation CD. It uses guided mediations and music that will calm
your mind, soothe your emotions and create a state of deep relaxation
in your body. It's just the thing to calm your nerves after a tough day.
Aside from music, if you're looking for some other keys to relaxation
(and who isn't?), check out our past article, How
to Relax (and Lower Your Cortisol Levels): A Golden Key to Your Health.
Recommended Reading
Smile!
The Remarkable Personal Benefits of Smiling
Why
Do We Need to Sleep? The Latest Fascinating Theories on This Mystery Phenomenon
Sources
American Music
Therapy Association
Health
Orbit April 22, 2004
ABC
News
EurekAlert