Listening To Slow-tempo Music May Boost Sleep Quality For People Over 50

A caller meta-analysis finds that listening to soothing, slow-tempo euphony tin meaningfully heighten slumber value successful older adults, though researchers pass nan grounds is still constricted and highly adaptable crossed studies.

Study: Effect of euphony therapy connected slumber value successful elderly: A systematic reappraisal and meta-analysis. Image Credit: fizkes / Shutterstock

In a caller reappraisal published successful nan journal PLoS One, researchers systematically gathered and analyzed grounds from objective tests to find whether euphony therapy tin amended slumber value successful older adults.

They recovered that euphony therapy importantly improved slumber value for individuals complete 50 years aged compared to power conditions, though nan results varied considerably betwixt studies. 

Sleep Disturbance arsenic a Growing Geriatric Health Concern

Poor slumber is communal among older adults, affecting 40–70% of this organization and contributing to cardiovascular disease, depression, cognitive decline, and falls. Pharmacological treatments stay wide but transportation risks of adverse effects and dependence, prompting liking successful safer, non-drug alternatives specified arsenic euphony therapy.

Mechanisms Linking Music Therapy to Sleep Regulation

Music therapy whitethorn amended slumber by reducing accent hormone levels, stimulating nan merchandise of melatonin, enhancing parasympathetic nervous system activity, and synchronizing biologic rhythms pinch slow, soothing tempos. Despite this theoretical promise, grounds from anterior studies has been inconsistent, and nary erstwhile large-scale synthesis had explicitly focused connected aged populations. This review, therefore, aimed to measure nan wide efficacy of euphony interventions connected slumber outcomes successful adults aged 50 years and older.

Search Strategy and Study Selection Criteria

Following established systematic reappraisal guidelines, researchers searched 7 awesome databases for randomized and non-randomized controlled tests involving adults aged 50 years and above. Eligible studies compared progressive aliases passive euphony interventions pinch power conditions that received nary aliases non-musical interventions, and reported slumber value outcomes utilizing validated tools.

Characteristics of Included Studies and Interventions

From 473 identified articles, 10 studies met nan inclusion criteria (six RCTs and 4 non-RCTs) published betwixt 2010 and 2023, involving 602 participants aged 50 years and older crossed hospital, nursing home, and organization settings. Most interventions progressive passive listening to slow-tempo instrumental aliases classical euphony (60–85 BPM) for 20–60 minutes per convention complete durations ranging from a azygous convention to 3 months. Sleep value was chiefly measured utilizing nan Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

Quantitative Findings and Statistical Variability

The meta-analysis, conducted utilizing a random-effects model, recovered that euphony therapy importantly improved slumber quality, pinch a standardized mean quality (SMD) of −0.79, indicating a mean to important effect. However, assurance and prediction intervals (SMD −1.25 to −0.33; prediction −2.22 to 0.64) revealed sizeable variability crossed studies, apt owed to heterogeneity successful involution design, fidelity, and euphony type. Subgroup study showed statistically important effects successful RCTs but not successful non-RCTs. Sensitivity analyses confirmed nary azygous study unduly influenced outcomes, and publication bias tests indicated nary bias.

Methodological Limitations and Certainty Assessment

Despite important pooled benefits, nan certainty of grounds was rated very low. Downgrading reflected risks of bias, inconsistent involution protocols, mini sample sizes, and important heterogeneity. Moderator analyses revealed nary important power of euphony type, frequency, aliases long connected effect size, suggesting that unmeasured variables, specified arsenic adherence aliases taste differences, whitethorn underlie nan observed variation.

Clinical Implications and Research Recommendations

This systematic reappraisal and meta-analysis recovered that euphony therapy tin meaningfully heighten slumber value successful older adults, pinch a moderate-to-large pooled effect accordant pinch anterior meta-analyses. RCTs demonstrated clearer benefits than non-randomized studies, which often carried higher bias risk. Nonetheless, debased wide certainty highlights nan request for be aware successful objective interpretation.

Future investigation should see larger, well-designed RCTs pinch standardized protocols, nonsubjective slumber measurements specified arsenic polysomnography, and cross-cultural validation to optimize euphony therapy’s exertion for aged slumber improvement.