Can’t Sleep? Forget the Sheep...Serenade your Brain!

Congratulations America! We suffer more than any other country in the world from a lack of sleep. With the stress involved in contemporary life its not surprising that more that fifty percent of Americans are inflicted with some form of insomnia. Among those adults seeking more sleep, 93 percent claim that the lack of sleep affects there daily lives, 90 percent insist that they are more accident prone, and 85 percent claim that they suffer various health problems as a result of being so tired all the time. Insomnia can manifest itself in several ways, such as sleeping restlessly or waking up too early in the morning, but the majority of suffers have the most trouble actually falling asleep to begin with. Stemming from many sources, including too much caffeine to chronic pain, most insomnia sufferers are missing out on their nightly Z's because simply because they are emotionally and mentally stressed out. Fortunately there are many ways to help you shut your eyes, and before you spend the evening trying to count sheep, catching up on MASH reruns, or mixing red wine with Ambien, you should try serenading yourself to sleep with some good music. Research suggests listening music can be one of the most helpful ways to track down that sandman. I am not talking about exposing your ears to elevator tunes that just bore you to sleep, or dropping your brain the hint with a little early 90's-era REM, but playing songs that are mentally and emotionally relaxing; songs that not only audibly soothe, but emotionally soothe as well. The idea is to select songs that are lyrically relaxing and take your brain to happy stress-free places. Maybe they are songs that remind you of a special time in your life, or maybe the songs offer a message that calms. These tunes will be different for us all, so if you want to feel a little fresher in the morning, try and create a list of your own. Here is my "forget the day and embrace the night" playlist that delivers peaceful sleep every time. U2 – “If God Will Send His Angles” Pop ALANIS MORISETTE – “Incomplete” Flavors of Entanglement COLD PLAY – “42” Viva la Vida MATCHBOX 20 – “Bright Lights” Exile on Mainstream ELTON JOHN – “Your Song” Greatest Hits THE BEATLES – “Let it be” Let It Be 3 DOORS DOWN – “It’s the Only One You’ve Got” 3 Doors Down (Bonus Track Version)