A successful electronic musician has created an album which is designed to help people enjoy a full night’s sleep.
DJ and Aphex Twin collaborator Tom Middleton retrained as a sleep science coach in a bid to help people drift off easier and has been working on Sleep Better for the past six years.
To be played in the hour prior to going to bed, the album is a series of soundscapes designed to help the brain switch off and use techniques to reduce heart and respiratory rate and lower blood pressure.
Author Matthew Walker, founder/director of The Centre for Human Sleep Science at University of California, Berkeley, told The Irish Times recently that * Walker is entirely passionate and convinced that humanity is sleepwalking itself into a massive health catastrophe, on par with smoking, lack of exercise or obesity.
Middleton is aiming to shift attitudes to a full night’s sleep being a right, rather than a luxury, and said he wanted to create momentum akin to Jamie Oliver’s public campaign against sugar.
“This is to make you rethink your sleep health and hygiene, we’re trying to open dialogue about improving your sleep hygiene and get a better quality sleep. We can do something about this and hopefully the voice will be loud enough.”
He added he was using the “most challenging music production techniques” of his career as he attempted to get people to “unlisten”.
“I’ve had to restrategise the entire way I produce music and use techniques that are so subtle.”
The album is aimed at those who struggle to maintain a regular sleep pattern – such as parents, nurses, doctors, shift workers and students.
It will be released to coincide with World Sleep Day on March 16th and has been backed by researchers including cognitive neuroscientist Dr Michelle O’Reilly of University College London.
“As many people already use music as a low cost, side-effect free tool to help them get to sleep, it makes sense for someone to design music specifically for this purpose and Tom Middleton has done just that,” she said. “Using an extensive body of research literature as its base, this music is an excellent aide which could be used as a stand-alone or in conjunction with other sleep hygiene methods to help people get a good night’s sleep.”
Sleep Better is released March 16th on streaming services, download, CD and also on the Sleep Better smartphone app.
– PA