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Ready for a nap? 

Looking to amplify your energy and optimize your wellbeing?

I’m here to help.

If you follow health research, peak performance, neuroscience or your grandmother’s advice (not to mention the fluctuations in your own cognitive acuity), you are already aware of how essential sleep is for your brain, memory and overall vitality.

Sleep is a BIG deal. 

 

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared sleep deprivation a public health crisis. An estimated financial impact is 1.23 million days of lost work per year and an annual economic cost of almost $400B USD. When you add over 70,000 injuries due to drowsy driving each year and the physical, mental, and emotional toll on individuals suffering from sleep deprivation, the issue has gotten out of control. 

Even if you don’t suffer from sleep disorders, getting the recommended 7+ hours of sleep each night AND taking in a 20 minute power nap during the day can feel more like a selfish luxury than an essential strategy for optimal health and increased productivity. 

 

Today is WORLD SLEEP DAY

 

Whether or not you have sleep issues, a Sound Sleep practice is a proven way to bring better closure to your day, improve your health, and enrich your life. 

What’s the secret ingredient to amplify your sleep hygiene practice and get you the treasured slumber you deserve?

Let’s try Music.

In honor of World Sleep Day and your treasured hours of dreamtime slumber, I want to help you with your Sound Sleep. Following is a list of resources to get you started:

 

READ:

Sound Sleep: Musical Lullaby for the Modern Brain

• An introduction to the application of music for sleep preparation and better sleep.

 

Music or Latte: Waking Up Healthier & Happier

• A deeper look at the often neglected yet critical stage of sleep – Waking Up, with ways to maximize music and sound benefits can improve the sleep positivity quotient and your day.

 

Amplified: Unleash Your Potential through the Power of Music

• Best-selling book which includes neuro and health science behind the practical applications of sound and music for your health and happiness, including that 30% of your life you spend sleeping (or trying to sleep).

 

Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker) and The Sleep Revolution (Arianna Huffington)

• 2 great books on the science behind and importance of sleep for the human brain, and society.

 

LISTEN:

Adagio for Sleep (Liquid Mind VIII)

• Another beautiful album from one of the most popular contemporary composers of music to help you destress and sleep – Chuck Wild (professionally known as Liquid Mind).

 

New Standards: Ballads for Solo Piano (20th Anniversary Edition)

• A timeless classic for those of you who like piano music, but are looking for something a bit more organic, melodic, and compositional than traditional New Age piano and soundscape recordings.

 

Spatial Sleep Music

• A World Sleep Day 2022 release from soundscapes designer and composer Tom Middleton incorporating a wide range of sound and music experiences, all mixed in Spatial Audio.

 

ADDING TO THE MIX:

Music’s ability to improve sleep can be amplified when combined with other sleep hygiene practices. Here are a number of additive and subtractive sleep hygiene practices you can try.​:

 

Additive sleep hygiene habits: 

• Meditating
• Taking a warm bath
• Doing some reflective journaling
• Intimately connecting with a loved one
• Reading a book you enjoy
• Maintaining an evening gratitude or prayer practice
• Doing gentle yoga stretches

 

Subtractive sleep hygiene habits:

• Reducing overstimulation from work, entertainment, news, or potentially upsetting discussions before sleep
• Avoiding eating too late
• Cutting out bright and blue light at night from digital screens, including your smartphone 
• Lowering room temperatures
• Using an eye mask and blackout shades to reduce natural light
• Eliminating alcohol consumption before bed

 

CALLING IT A NIGHT

Following a more personal Sound Sleep protocol may be just the help you need to guide you down that often-dark path to a good night of shuteye.

A nighttime sleep hygiene practice, accompanied by the right music, provides a highly effective and meaningful ritual to help bring closure to your day, improve your sleep, and enrich your life. And whatever your musical preference is, there is an ideal musical recipe waiting to help you enjoy the sound sleep you deserve.

And don’t forget that Power NAP (Neuroscience Amplifying Potential). Afterall, it is World Sleep Day.

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To learn more about Music and Sleep, including the musical art of waking up happier and healthier, check out the best-selling book Amplified: Unleash Your Potential Through Music.

 

And if you need more information, check out the resources Headspace put together today.