Summary: Older adults who listened to calming music before sleep, or while falling asleep, had better sleep quality than those who did not.
Source: Wiley
Listening to music before going to be can improve sleep quality among older adults, according to an analysis of all relevant published clinical trials.
In the analysis, which is published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, five randomized trials met the investigators’ criteria.
Older adults who listened to music experienced significantly better sleep quality than those who did not listen to music.
Also, older adults who listened to sedative music experienced a greater improvement in sleep quality than those who listened to more rhythmic music.
Furthermore, listening to music for longer than four weeks was especially effective at improving sleep quality.
“Music intervention is an effective strategy and is easy to administer by a caregiver or healthcare worker,” the authors wrote.
“Music therapy might be the first line of therapy to recommend in older adults with sleep disturbances, which would reduce the need for dependence on sedatives and sleeping medication.”
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Source: Wiley
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Original Research: Closed access.
“Effect of music therapy on improving sleep quality in older adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis” by Chia‐Te Chen et al. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
Abstract
Effect of music therapy on improving sleep quality in older adults: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Objectives
Poor sleep quality is a common issue among older adults; it can lead to a poor quality of life and impairments in cognitive function and physical health. This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta‐analysis of the effect of listening to music on sleep quality in older adults.
Design
Systematic review and meta‐analyses.
Setting
Five databases, including Embase, Ovid Medline, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and the Index to Taiwan Periodical Literature System, were searched to identify studies assessing the efficacy of music therapy in older adults aged 60 years and older published through February 20, 2021.
Participants
Adults aged 60 years and older.
Measurements
We searched English‐ and Chinese‐language studies of randomized control trials. All studies were reviewed by two independent investigators. The primary sleep outcome was the Pittsburgh sleep quality index. The Cochrane Collaboration tool was used to assess the risk of bias, and Review Manager 5.3 software was used to conduct the meta‐analysis.
Results
Five randomized control trials were included in the meta‐analysis. Older adults who listened to music experienced significantly better sleep quality than those who did not listen to music [mean difference (MD): −1.96, 95% CI −2.23 to −1.73, P = 0.003]. The subgroup analysis revealed that older adults who listened to sedative music obtained a more effective improvement in sleep quality than those who listened to rhythm‐centered music (MD: −2.35, 95% CI –3.59 to −1.10, P = 0.0002). Furthermore, listening to music for longer than 4 weeks (MD: −2.61, 95% CI −4.72 to −0.50, P = 0.02) was to be effective at improving sleep quality.
Conclusions
Music therapy is safe and easy to administer and can effectively improve sleep quality among older adults, particularly those listening to more sedative music for at least a four‐week duration.