Whether suffering from chronic insomnia or simply pre-exam restlessness, most people experience at least a few sleepless nights in their lives. While counting sheep may not lead to a restful night, recent work by Sarina Rodrigues, associate professor of psychology at Oregon State U., suggests that music may be the key.
Rodrigues was interviewed by The Today Show last week about her investigation of the effect of algorithm laden music on sleep, based on the results of a test run she completed that will be followed by a full clinical study in the fall.
In the test, Rodrigues asked individuals to listen to music developed by sound design company, NeuroPop, as a non-pharmaceutical sleep aid before or while falling asleep for at least five nights. Those who used the music then gave testimonials on its effects on their sleep patterns during The Today Show interview, which will air as part of a three-day sleep segment in the coming months.
“The music targets the vestibular system, which is thought of as our sixth sense,” Rodrigues said. “It is responsible for balance and coordination, kind of where we are in space, and when it’s out of whack we might feel dizzy. The music is designed to use low frequency vibrations to simulate rocking. It synchronizes mass populations of neurons in the brainstem to induce this rhythmic stance in body and brain.”
The vibration effect is intended to encourage sleep in the same way that rocking a child or being vibrated by a motor in a vehicle tends to facilitate a relaxed mental state. In her fall study, Rodrigues plans to test the music on three categories of people, consisting of 20 participants each.
Rodrigues selected adults from age 20 to 40, who typically exhibit trouble falling asleep; adults over 40 is an age group that struggles with staying asleep and children. The music is expected to help listeners fall asleep, promote more restful, quality sleep and discourage waking during the night.
“It didn’t really change how quickly I fell asleep, but it helped me sleep more soundly,” said Heather Chambers, a 36-year-old lab assistant to Rodrigues and OSU psychology student who used the music. “I didn’t wake up during the middle of the night and I woke up more rested and energetic. I had more restful sleep every night that I did it.”
Rodrigues became involved in the exploration of the NeuroPop algorithm music through friend Seth Horowitz, assistant professor of neuroscience at Brown U. Horowitz primarily studies animals, such as bats and dolphins, and asked Rodrigues to participate to bring the perspective of human study to the project.
“The Today Show contacted me the day after (Horowitz) asked me to do this study,” Rodrigues said. “They were already planning to do something on his research, but they wanted a story interested in the human element and how the research could benefit people.”
Rodrigues started at OSU in fall 2009, following post-doctoral research at U. California-Berkeley. Her past research has included the study of emotions and the hormone Oxytocin, which according to Rodrigues, is released during social interaction and is responsible for stress reduction and how different people deal with stress. Rodrigues believes the hormone may also play a role in sleep, as it is the source of the warm, comfortable mental feeling that some people experience when falling asleep.
“(Rodrigues’) research prior to coming here was outstanding, and she’s great in the classroom,” said John Edwards, OSU psychology department chair. “We’re excited to have hired her. I have every expectation that this research is going to be outstanding.”
In her fall study, participants will be housed at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center where they can be monitored by machines that will measure their brain waves, heart rate, stress hormones, saliva, and Oxytocin levels.
“We are hoping to get a lot more physiological data and we will be interested in their sleep cycles, because we’ll be able to measure their cycles for changes in response to the music,” Rodrigues said.
“Since I’m really into emotions, I’m really interested in how our sleep quality can improve our health, mood and being.”
Until testing is complete, NeuroPop will not be releasing the music for public use, but Rodrigues will be looking for participants starting in the fall for her clinical study on the music’s effects.