Sunday, October 31, 2010

Music and How It Makes Us Sleep

     So recently, an interesting article came to my attention: a poll of 'music most likely to help you fall asleep.'  After looking at it, I was intrigued and puzzled.  The list reads as follows (starting from #1): Coldplay, Michael Buble, Snow Patrol, Alicia Keys, Jack Johnson, Taylor Swift, Mozart, Barry White, Leona Lewis and Radiohead.  This was a poll conducted by Travelodge that surveyed 6,000 British adults.  It was a fascinating poll I thought and it really made me think about music I listen to before going to bed.   Apparently, for English people, music is a much needed aid for falling asleep.  Looking at the list, it is not a surprise to see Coldplay at the top as I find there music relaxing and easy to fall asleep too.  However, this list raises some questions as to whether this is meant to be seen in a good or bad context.  Some people may find it insulting to a band when you say that their music is great to fall asleep too, but I don't think that this survey was conducted in that context.  This was done more for people who simply use music as a stress buster and need it to help fall asleep.  It is more of an aid than an ailment.                    

     Personally, I find it helpful and have, on many occasions, fallen asleep listening to music.   The list I found, was startling too, as it was a number of eclectic musicians and I happen to like only 3 of them (more or less).  I love Radiohead (and have fallen asleep to their music) but that should not be taken as an insult to the band, as their music is simply very soothing and relaxing.  I am not going to bash the other artists on this list because there's no real point in doing that, but I could see myself falling asleep to most of them or should I say I would rather be sleeping than be listening to them.  Alas, here are some links about the poll.  Enjoy!

http://www.nme.com/news/coldplay/53565

http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/10/28/coldplay-music-to-fall-asleep/

Image Credit: Tom Sheehan; Kwaku Alston; Martin Philbey/Redferns/Getty Images

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