You have heard the rule: no TV before bed. Many people find that listening to something – audiolivros, music, podcasts or TV shows – helps them fall asleep.
A 2018 study He found that more than half of people with sleep disorders use music as a sleep aid.
It’s a bad sleep hygiene look at screens to roll or watch a program before bed, but what if you’re not looking, just listening?
“It’s like the history of golden curls,” said Sleep Medicine expert Rachel Rooms, a neurology professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. “It’s a matter of what works for you … It’s not just the practices of your night routine, but your environment, all things.”
Each person is different, and some may have a great sleep if they fall asleep listening to something, said rooms. However, there are some practices to consider to ensure that you are maximizing the benefits and avoiding possible traps.
Slowing down to sleep
The key to listening to audiolivros, podcasts, music, or sleeping TV is to ensure that this is helping you relax instead of keeping it awake, said Shalini Paruthi, a sleeping medicine doctor at the John J. Cochran hospital in St. Louis and adjunct professor at St. Louis University School of Medicine.
“If you hear something keeps a more engaged or awake person and therefore replaces sleep time, this can be harmful to health,” she said by email. “Adults are recommended to get at least 7 hours of sleep regularly for ideal performance.”
On the other hand, a predictable noise type can help tell your body that it’s time to relax, added rooms. “If you find that this is part of your night routine, and it’s comforting and relaxing… that’s great,” she said.
Try to choose content to listen to that allow your transition to sleep, added Dr. Lindsay Browning, psychologist and sleeping specialist in Berkshire, UK.
“Choose something not very engaging so that your brain is not motivated to stay awake and fight sleep to pay attention,” she said by email.
A sleeping story can be a better choice than the audio of a book you want to read. Programs you’ve heard before and know how they end can be better than falling asleep with something full of suspense.
When it turns off the sound
A soundtrack to sleep can help you fall asleep, but you don’t always keep you sleeping if you keep playing all night, Browning said.
“It’s important to set up an automatic timer to silence sounds as soon as possible after falling asleep,” she said.
If the program, podcast or music you are playing has noise, frequencies, or unexpected volumes, it can alert your brain to pay attention, said rooms. Surprising noise does not always wake him up completely, but can cause many small awakenings you are not aware of. This will disturb your sleep anyway, she added.
A constant sound, such as white or ASMR noise, can help with the quality of your sleep, especially if you live in a noisy area, added rooms.
“If bars close at a certain time and people are on the street, coming home and talking or screaming, it will disturb your sleep,” she said.
A consistent and non -alarming noise can drown out this type of ambient noise, she said.
What to do with insomnia
Sometimes listening to something to sleep is not just a pleasant part of a night routine – it’s a way to calm fast thoughts at night. Some proactive measures during the day can help, Browning said.
“If you find that your brain is very active when trying to sleep, which keeps you awake, you can try to address these occupied thoughts and worries earlier during the day,” she said.
Methods include having a dedicated time earlier in the day to think about these concerns or using cognitive shuffling, a technique that involves thinking of random words and without emotional load to get your mind out of rapid thoughts, Browning said.
“It’s a much better idea to try to learn ways to calm a busy mind at night that don’t require you mask these unwanted thoughts with external sound,” Browning said.
If you are using something to listen to to help with insomnia and this does not seem to help after a period of two to four weeks, it may be time to consult a certified sleep doctor and find out the root of the problem, said Paruthi.
“There are several proven therapies that work well for the treatment of insomnia, such as cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, or when appropriate, medications can be considered,” she said.
See also: Sleep well is part of my routine, tells Gilberto Gil to CNN
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Source: CNN Brasil
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