0133 Stuck Song Syndrome: Bedtime Music Affects Nocturnal Polysomnography Outcomes

Abstract

Introduction Nearly all adolescents and young adults listen to music everyday, with music listening near its highest level in the evening. The National Institutes of Health have recommended listening to quiet music as part of the bedtime routine, and some researchers have claimed that listening to music before bedtime improves sleep efficiency to the level of hypnotic medications. These recommendations are based solely on studies in which participants self-reported their sleep quality. Methods Participants were 50 healthy young adults (M=21.2 years, 70% female). Following visual analogue ratings, participants were told to relax and listen to quiet music for 10 minutes. We standardized the music playlist to include three songs with high familiarity. The songs were played at a quiet volume (42 dB) while participants sat upright in bed with the lights dimmed (40 lux) to simulate a bedtime routine. Participants were randomly assigned to listen to the lyrical or instrumental-only versions of the songs. They then repeated visual analogue ratings prior to lights out. Experimenters were masked to conditions at all time points. Results Participants self-reported greater relaxation after listening to music in both conditions (ps