If you are to list all the non-material things that you hold very close to your heart, it doesn’t even matter if you are a musicophile or not because music will make it through that list and it’s a given. The bond a human develops with music is extremely powerful, mysterious and esoteric.
“A day without music is a day wasted,” says Rehnuma Rashid, a final year student of marketing at North South University. Music has always been a true constant of her life and she always held onto it as well. “The presence of music in my life is very significant, both in good days and bad days too.”
People often say, “Sing me to sleep” or “Sing me a lullaby” to their beloved ones by which they basically ask someone to sing something very gentle to lull them to sleep. Music aids sleep by helping you feel relaxed and at ease and this phenomenon is going on since the beginning of civilisation.
There has always been music in nature, be it the calming sound of waves along the shoreline, the forest leaves rustling in the wind or perhaps rain dripping down on a roof. The sounds of nature always helped in relaxing one’s mind, body and soul.
The healing power of music is beyond comprehension. Music tends to indulge people in some certain smoothness which help people to fall asleep faster. Of course, it depends largely on the kind of music you are listening to. If you find yourself in bed hearing ‘In the End’ by Linking Park, chances are very low that it will advance you to sleep any soon.
Instrumentals/ Classical
Instrumental music is one in which there are no vocals or no one is singing. Only the beat goes on. Instrumentals are an increasingly common ally in hospitals, funerals, as it contributes to reducing pain and favours the production of endorphins (a hormone).
You can easily find many hour long instrumentals on YouTube that are specifically designed to sleep. The ‘sleep’ category on Spotify has dozens of popular playlists to choose from, with heavy-lidded titles such as Peaceful Piano (5.4 million followers) and Nightstorms (not to be confused with Night Rain).
Instrumentals are universal music as it doesn’t know any particular language. It connects all the souls together. Going to bed hearing some classical of Beethoven, Mozart or Haydn is never a bad idea.
Country Music/ Folk
There is always something sad about country music which is weirdly comforting at times. Country music has the reputation of relieving anxiety. There are a handful number of country music playlists you can find on Spotify.
If you want to give country music a proper try without judgement, you can start with Taylor Swift (American singer). Even though Taylor’s career started with rock songs, over time she has released some precious country music. Her latest two albums Folklore and Evermore are very refreshing.
America-based singer and song writer James Taylor’s ‘You Can Close Your Eyes’ is written and sung like a lullaby, and sometimes that’s the most comforting thing to hear. ‘So close your eyes/ You can close your eyes, it’s all right’- Jame’s voice is inviting and warm, and the song makes you feel safe and at ease.
Under the title of Iron and Wine, the singer/song writer Sam Beam produces some really intimate and heartfelt folk songs. The band has released 6 albums so far and all of them are gems. The song Call It Dreaming is a true medicine to pain and it has 4 million plus views on YouTube. How amazing it is to close your eyes hearing something like “For all the love you have left behind, you can have mine.”
Alternative/ Indie
The indie element is most prevalent in songwriting; mostly focused on the lyrics and the composition. This genre is a sweet treat to the ears.
Though the band Kodaline mostly airs more on the side of hopeless, there’s something about it that feels hopeful. Songs like The One or All I Want are all you want to hear sometimes. The same goes for the band Twenty One Pilots or Imagine Dragons.
There’s something particularly welcoming about most of the coldplay songs. It feels like someone offering you a hand when times are tough. Hearing Fix You while sleeping might fix half of your life problems.
Kaniz Fatema is a 4th year student of geography and environment at Dhaka University.
