Abstract
Research on the efficacy of music for improving sleep quality has produced mixed results. We investigated whether the number of music dosages could be a reason for the lack of clarity. Six longitudinal music sleep studies using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) over 3 weeks were identified. Music when compared to active (audiobooks or medication) or passive controls significantly improved (improvement is reflected by a lower score) PSQI within the first or second week of prescription. The improvement was an average mean difference of −1.15 (SD = 0.53) for each week. Music dosages continued to be associated with improved PSQI over a study that had a 3-month music intervention. One study with a low initial PSQI score resulted in poor sleepers (PSQI > 5) achieving healthy sleep (PSQI < 5) within 3 weeks of regular music intervention. For future studies, “prescribing” music beyond 3 weeks may lead to more instances of healthy sleep, particularly for those who have mild sleep problems. To explain the findings, we proposed that the relationship between weeks of music listening and improved PSQI are attributed to the truncation of poor bedtime habits linked to ruminative tendencies and consequent hyperarousal prior to the music intervention. Music listening at bedtime replaces those bad habits, we argue, by forming a new psychological link between bedtime and sleep through evaluative conditioning. The findings of the present study provide disarming evidence of the potential for prescription of music for treating mild sleep disorder.
Highlights
Reviewed by: Guihua Jiang, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, China Wassilatul Zannat, International Indian School Al Majma’ah, Saudi Arabia Giuseppe Curcio, University of L’Aquila, Italy
Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) decreased in the control groups on average by −0.06 each week with effectiveness depending on the type of control
This study reviewed the influence of multiple weeks of exposure to music at bedtime upon sleep quality
Summary
Reviewed by: Guihua Jiang, Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital, China Wassilatul Zannat, International Indian School Al Majma’ah, Saudi Arabia Giuseppe Curcio, University of L’Aquila, Italy. Six longitudinal music sleep studies using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) over 3 weeks were identified. One study with a low initial PSQI score resulted in poor sleepers (PSQI > 5) achieving healthy sleep (PSQI < 5) within 3 weeks of regular music intervention. We proposed that the relationship between weeks of music listening and improved PSQI are attributed to the truncation of poor bedtime habits linked to ruminative tendencies and consequent hyperarousal prior to the music intervention. Assessment of the influence of increased exposure to music as a sleep aid is needed This connects seamlessly with the Arts on Prescription movement, which is a complementary approach to improving health and well-being where a creative activity is prescribed to individuals over a period of time (Bungay and Clift, 2010; Jensen et al, 2017). The prescription of music as “treatment” has been explored in the context of “music as a coping strategy” with a focus on improving physiological and psychological well-being (Jacobsen et al, 2018). Jacobsen et al (2018) suggested that identifying the quantity or “dose” is a challenge for future research in music
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