Research has found that listening to music before bed does not promote sleep.

A recent study published in Psychological Science indicates that listening to music before bed may cause “earworms” to infiltrate one’s dreams, thereby disrupting sleep quality. An “earworm” is an involuntary musical mental image: after repeatedly hearing a song or melody, it keeps replaying in the mind, lingering persistently and even prompting unconscious humming—almost as if one’s mind has been “brainwashed.” This phenomenon is known as the “earworm effect.”

But the “earworm effect” typically occurs when the brain is awake—so why does it still creep into our dreams and disrupt sleep quality?

“Even when no music is playing, the brain continues to process musical information, including during sleep,” explains Dr. Michael Scullin, a sleep scientist at Baylor University. “Listening to music can indeed evoke feelings of pleasure and relaxation, but the more often you listen, the greater the likelihood of experiencing ‘earworms,’ which may in turn disrupt your sleep.”

Dr. Michael Scullin’s team conducted a study to investigate whether listening to music affects sleep and to gain deeper insights into the mechanisms underlying the “earworm effect.”

According to the Medical Information Network, this study involved 209 participants, 199 of whom completed a series of questionnaires assessing sleep quality, music-listening habits, and the frequency of “earworm” occurrences. The questions covered how often participants experienced earworms when trying to fall asleep, upon waking in the middle of the night, and upon waking in the morning.

An additional 50 participants were brought into Baylor University’s Sleep Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory, where the research team sought to determine how the “earworm effect” impacts sleep quality by inducing earworms and recording participants’ brain waves, heart rate, respiration, and other physiological measures during sleep. Before bedtime, researchers played three popular songs—“Shake It Off,” “Call Me Maybe,” and “Don’t Stop Believin’”—and randomly assigned participants to listen either to the original versions or to instrumental accompaniments. Participants then reported whether and when they experienced an earworm. At the same time, the researchers assessed whether nighttime sleep quality was affected.

The results showed that individuals experiencing the “earworm effect” had greater difficulty falling asleep, were more likely to wake up during the night, and spent a longer time in light sleep stages. Many frequent music listeners reported persistent earworms and diminished sleep quality—contradicting the notion that music serves as a sleep‑promoting “therapy.”

Dr. Michael Scullin stated: “Almost everyone believes that listening to music improves their sleep quality, but our research shows that people who listen to music more frequently actually experience poorer sleep. Even more surprisingly, instrumental music has a greater impact on sleep quality, with the ‘earworm effect’ it triggers being twice as strong as that of other types of music.”

To avoid music negatively affecting sleep quality, Dr. Michael Scullin recommends:

1. Listen to music in moderation, and never listen to it right before bed.

2. If you’re bothered by the “earworm effect,” try fully focusing on another task, which can help distract your brain from the earworm.

3. Before going to bed, spend 5 to 10 minutes writing a to-do list; this helps clear your mind and promotes better sleep. Avoid engaging in mentally or physically demanding activities, as well as anything else that might disrupt your sleep.