R.E.M.

Music can be relaxing. Sometimes, even helping to put you to sleep. My wife once jokingly referred to Norah Jones’ music on our stereo as “Snorah Jones”.  Now anytime that I put on a station in the Pittsburgh market that is known to play that genre of music, my two boys instantly feign sleep.

When my kids were younger, I used to play them the Rockabye Baby! series of CDs and the lullaby renditions of Pearl Jam songs – mostly played on the xylophone worked its magic.  For me, although I do not like to sleep, I am a good sleeper.  I am typically rested with 6 hours per night, but sometimes it is not as simple as turning off the light and crashing after a full day.

In the summer of 2013, I listened to City & Colour’s “The Hurry and the Harm” on repeat, mostly when I was trying to wind down at the end of the day.  Recently when I was in Charleston, WV, there were maintenance workers drilling into concrete on I-79 that ran near my hotel room well into the middle of the night.  And at 2:00 AM, listening to music on headphones was the only thing that I could do to dull out the loud noise outside my window and put myself to sleep. .  That night, I chose the classic U2 song, “One” with Mary J. Blige on vocals.  In high school, when sleep didn't come easy, I chose different Pink Floyd songs off of albums like "Obscured by Clouds", "The Final Cut" or "A Momentary Lapse of Reason".   It is important to note that I do not find this music boring, rather comforting and calming.

According to a WebMD.com article by Bob Barnett, "Reputable studies find that music with a rhythm of about 60 beats a minute helps people fall asleep. . ." "As you are falling asleep, your heart rate begins to slow, and starts to move toward that 60-beats-per-minute range.” In other words, slow music “tunes” your heartbeat toward the sleep zone.  But whether or not you utilize music to sleep, play it in the background at a party or during a work-out, I continue to be amazed at how music can be heard throughout everyday life.  

These days, I have friends who use the ‘Sleep Sounds’ app or are knocked out on their couch by the voices of Sam Waterston, Morgan Freeman, Garrison Keillor or George Plimpton to name a few in Ken Burns’ “The Civil War”, but for me it will always be music.   I am currently trying to compile my top 5 music to fall asleep to albums, but in the meantime, since my boys and my wife sleep terribly most nights – maybe they need a new copy of “Come Away with Me”.

Thanks for reading.