Let this team of musicians and scientists help you fall asleep!

How could anyone claim to have recorded the most relaxing song? Well, with a team of scientists working with a group of musicians it can be done! A three member group from Manchester called the Marconi Union (not macaroni) sat down with sound therapists to compose the perfect song that aims to slow the listener's heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and lower levels of a stress hormone called cortisol.  This track is not just a concept! Tempo, pitch, melody, rhythm and tone can actually have a massive impact on your body. Far too often, the power of music is overlooked. People focus so much on what kind of food they put in their bodies (I'll admit that is a bit more important) but getting the right kind of music in through your ears can be so impactful on your mood and mental health as well! Relax! Your Brain Likes This Song | the art blot “The harmonic intervals – or gaps between notes – have been chosen to create a feeling of euphoria and comfort. And there is no repeating melody, which allows your brain to completely switch off because you are no longer trying to predict what is coming next. Instead, there are random chimes, which helps to induce a deeper sense of relaxation. The final element is the low, whooshing sounds and hums that are like Buddhist chants. High tones stimulate but these low tones put you in a trance-like state.”1 According to Lyz Cooper, founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, Weightless “contains a sustaining rhythm that starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually slows to around 50. While listening, your heart rate gradually comes to match that beat. It is important that the song is eight minutes long because it takes about five minutes for [the process of] entrainment, to occur. The fall in heart rate also leads to a fall in blood pressure.”1 “Entrainment in the biomusicological sense refers to the synchronization of organisms to an external rhythm, usually produced by other organisms with whom they interact socially.”5 In other words, when two rhythms are in close contact, they will begin to synchronize. Neutrons are the brain’s messengers. They process and transmit information via electrical and chemical signals, creating a remarkable network of communication throughout the brain and the nervous system. When you hear a sound, the frequency of that sound wave is translated into an electrical charge. In the process of reaching the brain and processing the sound, more and more neurons are activated. Millions upon millions of neurons must synchronize to regulate activities in the body, and thus they release a pulse of electricity.  This rhythmic or repetitive neural activity creates a brainwave or neural oscillation. In fact, in different states of consciousness, the brainwaves oscillate at different frequencies. Eventually, the external rhythm of the music will influence these neural oscillations, causing Brainwave entrainment or “brainwave synchronization.” There have been several studies showing how music can entrain a person’s breathing and pulse, as well. All kinds [...]

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