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Snooze fest: the best songs for nodding off

Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Spotify has revealed the top 10 songs that get people snoozing in Australia and around the world, after looking at the sleep-themed playlists of 2.8 million streamers.

‘Sleep’ is one of Spotify’s most searched categories and the list of favourite tracks is dominated by some of the world’s top musicians.

The popularity of relaxing playlists is unsurprising given that experts say music is a great way to bring on some dream time.

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Dr Jeanette Tamplin, a music therapist at the University of Melbourne, told The New Daily that music “is really effective” in inducing sleep.

From her perspective as a therapist in a clinical setting, she uses music to “help breathing, heart rate and relaxation” in patients.

“It should be obvious that it should be slow, not too loud or repetitive and not having any crazy rhythms,” she said.

“Those kinds of stable, low-stimulus types of music.”

British musician Ed Sheeran is a veritable snooze-fest. Photo: Getty

British musician Ed Sheeran is a veritable snooze-fest. Photo: Getty

Overall, Dr Tamplin says it’s important you like the music you are listening to before sleeping.

“If you find Ed Sheeran irritating and you don’t like his music, it is not going to help you sleep,” she says.

There’s plenty of science to support drifting off to a soundtrack.

A recent amalgamation of 10 randomised studies on music’s effect on slumber by the Journal of Nursing Studies found “music is the most welcomed method used by nurses to improve the patients’ sleep quality”.

“Quality of sleep was improved significantly by music,” the study wrote.

Interestingly, the Spotify list is dominated by male voices, with only one female artist – British songstress Ellie Goulding – appearing on the list.

This is an interesting anomaly given this CNN report suggests both historically and currently we find female voices are more pleasing and soothing than male.

British singers Sheeran and Sam Smith both have two songs on the list, their dulcet tones making them the clear favourites for nap time.

In fact, every performer on the list bar two – America’s The Weeknd and Australia’s Chet Faker – are from the United Kingdom.

This didn’t seem to faze Aussie listeners, however, who tuned into the following list of tracks, in order of popularity:

1. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

2. Take Me To Church – Hozier

3. Stay With Me – Sam Smith

4. I See Fire – Ed Sheeran

5. Let Her Go – Passenger

6. Talk Is Cheap – Chet Faker

7. Love Me Like You Do (from Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack) – Ellie Goulding

8. Jealous – Labrinth

9. Earned It (from Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack) – The Weeknd

10. I’m Not The Only One – Sam Smith

Hear the Brits sing for their supper while you get some shuteye with the playlists below.

Top 10 songs streamed for sleep in Australia

Top 10 songs streamed for sleep worldwide

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