Monday, May 1, 2017

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.

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