A new scientific study suggests that older people who have sleep difficulties snooze much better after listening to 45 minutes of quiet music before bed. Researchers studied the sleep patterns of sixty individuals aged 60-83 in Taiwan who had problems sleeping. Compared to the control group, "the 30 who had listened to carefully selected music experienced physical changes that aided restful sleep. These included lower heart and respiratory rates." From the press release:
The music group was able to choose from six tapes that featured soft, slow music. These included one tape of Chinese folk music and five that had been found effective for reducing postoperative pain in research conducted by (Case Western Resever University nursing professor Marion) Good.
Good, one of the country's leading researchers of drug-free methods to reduce postoperative pain, has found in previous studies that the combination of relaxation and music relieved postoperative abdominal pain significantly more than painkillers.
