Perhaps it is time to add some energetic pop music to your soothing sleep playlist.
A team of researchers in Denmark has discovered that there isn’t a single genre of music people listen to to go to sleep.
“It was surprising how many differing types of music people use to sleep,” Kira Vibe Jespersen, an assistant professor on the Center for Music within the Brain at Aarhus University, told The Post in an email.
“Not only different genres, but additionally different audio characteristics … from slow, soothing instrumental tracks to more energetic, higher-tempo pop music.”
The authors of the studypublished this week in PLOS One magazineanalyzed over 200,000 songs from nearly 1,000 Spotify sleep-related playlists.
![Billie Eilish performs on stage during her Happier Than Ever World Tour at The O2 Arena June 10, 2022 in London, England.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/eilish-bts-whale-sleep-05.jpg?w=1024)
While the researchers said they have not collected data on whether fast-paced music actually helps people sleep, they do know that folks use it to sleep.
They were able to discover six distinct subcategories of music that folks activate when it is time to turn a blind eye.
Co-author Rebecca Jane Scarratt told the South West News Service that three of the subcategories, including ambient music, are consistent with the everyday characteristics identified for sleep music. Nonetheless, the music in the opposite three subcategories was louder and more energetic.
“These tracks featured several popular songs, including “Dynamite” by BTS and “Lovely” by Billie Eilish and Khalid,” said Scarratt.
The authors also list “Jealous” by Labrinth, “Falling” by Harry Styles, and “The Scientist” by Coldplay as popular additions to sleep playlists.
![Floating bed](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/eilish-bts-whale-sleep-06.jpg?w=1024)
In some cases, knowing the songs—even loud melodies with vocals—can enable you loosen up.
“Our hypothesis is that familiarity with music makes it very predictable for the brain, and this predictability may enable sleep, although the music is upbeat and energetic,” said Jespersen. PA news agency.
“We’re currently working to test this hypothesis.”
![BTS perform during Jingle Ball on iHeartRadio KIIS FM at the Forum on December 6, 2019 in Inglewood, California.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/01/eilish-bts-whale-sleep-03.jpg?w=1024)
Scientists still have data to collect. With none sleep data from music lovers, Jespersen said, they cannot ensure that more energetic tunes enable you go to sleep.
“People listen to music before bed for quite a lot of reasons. One among the explanations could also be to facilitate leisure, but music can be used for mood regulation, distraction or masking external noises,’ she added.
Scarratt said the findings could “each enrich the clinical use of music and deepen our understanding of how music is used to regulate human behavior in on a regular basis life.”