Music Therapy Found to Significantly Improve Sleep Quality in Older Adults

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found music therapy — especially slow-tempo, soft-volume, and smooth melodic music — may significantly improve sleep quality in older adults, reports the American Journal of Managed Care . The researchers chose five randomized controlled trials that fulfilled inclusion criteria, totaling 142 participants in the music therapy cohorts and 146 participants in the control groups. Each participant was a community-dwelling adult whose listening duration ranged from 30 to 60 minutes over a period of two days to three months. Significantly better sleep quality was observed among participants who received music therapy compared with those who did not, with sleep quality further enhanced among people listening to music for more than four weeks. Moreover, older adults who listened to sedative music experienced more effective improvement in sleep quality than those listening to rhythm-centered music. "Music therapy might be the first line of therapy to recommend in older adults with sleep disturbances, which would reduce the need for or dependence on sedatives and sleeping medication," the researchers suggested.