It’s three o’clock in the morning. You’ve been awake for an hour. Thoughts spin on a loop like a broken record. The body is tired but the mind keeps running, planning, worrying. You’ve tried counting sheep, breathing deeply, changing position in bed. Anything. You can’t turn off all those thoughts that keep going around in your head since you laid your head on the pillow.
I know this feeling well. I have experienced it for years-especially in times of greatest stress.
What I have discovered on my path between music and meditation is something that has radically changed my relationship with sleep: it is not absolute silence that helps you sleep, but the right kind of sound. A sound that does not distract, but accompanies, lulls you and transforms your space.
The problem of sleep in the modern world
We live in an age of hyperconnectedness. Screens keep us up late, notifications interrupt our circadian rhythm, and stress accumulated during the day never finds a real space to dissolve. The result? A silent epidemic of insomnia that touches millions of people.
How many times have you gone to sleep and thought, “come on I’ll just watch TikTok for a second and then I’ll turn it off,” and magically you’ve been immersed in an hour of endless scrolling watching that video of the dog eating sushi in a competition with its owner, only to find out it was an AI-generated video…
All this “consumption” of nighttime content not only interrupts your circadian cycle, but causes your brain to magically become active again and no longer in sleep mode, causing various disturbances that you will only become aware of over time.
Over the last ten years I have studied and experienced, how music could also become a kind of “medicine.” Not a temporary distraction, but a real tool to support healing; starting with sleep disorders, I have precisely found this path that, through focused use of listening, has led me to better sleep.
The science behind music for sleep
When we listen to music, our brain reacts. The brain waves change frequency, The heartbeat synchronizes with the rhythms we perceive and the breath slows down or speeds up following the melodies we are listening to.
The right music for sleep works on these physiological mechanisms. It must have some specific characteristics:
- Slow tempo: ideally between 60 and 80 beats per minute, similar to resting heart rate
- Absence of abrupt dynamic changes: no sudden crescendos that awaken attention
- Soft stamps: sounds that envelop rather than penetrate
- Repetitive but not boring structure: the brain needs predictability to relax, not monotony that activates it to seek stimulation
In all of this, however, there is one element that makes the difference more than any other: the tuning frequency of the sound.
The hidden power of 432Hz
I wrote about this in depth in my article on 432Hz music, but it is worth repeating here because it is crucial to understanding how music can really help us sleep.
Most of the music you listen to today is tuned to 440Hz. Most of the music you listen to today is tuned to 440Hz. This is the industry standard, officially adopted in 1939 at an international conference in London and later ratified by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) in 1955. The choice was primarily technical and political, related to the need to standardize instruments in orchestras and industrial music production.
But this was not always the reference frequency. Before the 20th century, every region, every theater, every composer had his or her preferred tuning. And many of the great masters of Italian classical music, including Giuseppe Verdi, used different frequencies.
Verdi, in particular, was a passionate advocate of 432Hz tuning(technically he was proposing A at 432Hz, which we now call “Verdi tuning”). In 1884 he wrote an
His intuition was profound: Verdi perceived that lower frequencies created a more harmonious resonance, less aggressive to the ear and nervous system. In his operas, he wanted the audience not only to hear the music, but to feel it resonate in the body.
This was not a random aesthetic preference. The 432Hz is called “natural tuning” because it is mathematically consistent with the frequencies we find in nature. It is harmonically related to the Earth’s resonant frequency (known as the Schumann resonance, about 8Hz), to the proportions of the human body, and to the natural cycles around us.
When you listen to music tuned to this frequency, something in your body recognizes it. It’s as if every cell is saying, “ah, I know this sound.” It’s not mysticism, it’s vibrational physics. Our bodies are made of 90 percent water, and water responds to sound frequencies in ways that we are only beginning to understand scientifically.
For sleep, this difference is crucial. 432Hz music does not stimulate, it does not agitate. It accompanies the body toward its natural state of rest. It does so gently, without forcing. While 440Hz has a “brighter” quality that keeps attention active, 432Hz has a softness that invites release.
How I found that HARMONIE® music promotes sleep.
When I created the HARMONIE® project, my goal was to take people on an inner journey through meditation and sound using a piano tuned to 432Hz. combined with Tibetan bells. A sequence designed to guide the brain into states of deep relaxation. Each session is designed with a specific intention: not to entertain, but to accompany on this introspective journey between music and Theta Healing®. Not to fill the silence, but to make it more welcoming. To create a sound space where the body can finally let go of accumulated tension.
The discovery of its power over sleep came unexpectedly through RESPIRATION sessions. During these mindful breathing sessions, I was using HARMONIE® music to support the practice. People would lie down, close their eyes, and while the breath did its work of liberation, the 432Hz frequencies created a space of safety and acceptance.
After guiding hundreds of people across Europe through these experiences, I began to notice a recurring pattern. At the end of the sessions, while sharing, many people would tell me,“I slept that night like I hadn’t slept in months,”“I was finally able to relax completely,”“I dreamed for the first time in years.”
At first I thought it was the effect of the breath work, the emotional release that happens during the RESPIRATE session. And certainly that played a role, but then some people started asking me if they could take that music home, if they could listen to it before they went to sleep. They wanted to recreate that state of deep relaxation that they had experienced during the sessions.
I started receiving messages. People who had suffered from insomnia for years were writing to tell me that listening to HARMONIE® before bed had changed the quality of their rest. It was no longer necessary to struggle with the mind that would not shut off, with thoughts spinning in a loop. The music naturally created that transitional space between wakefulness and sleep, the space that many of us have lost in the hustle and bustle of modern life.
It was only then that I fully understood what I had created. HARMONIE® was not just music for meditation, it was sound medicine. And sleep, that vulnerable territory where we need to feel safe to let go, responded to the natural frequencies of 432Hz with surprising ease.
The perfect playlist for sleep: what to listen to tonight
If you are reading this article you are probably also looking for ways to improve the quality of your sleep. Let me guide you in discovering what sounds can accompany you toward deep rest.
HARMONIE music on Spotify
I have created a specific playlist on Spotify with compositions best suited for sleep. These are tracks that I use myself when I need to disconnect completely.
I recommend listening to it at a very low volume, almost whispered. Sleep music should not be the protagonist, it should be an unobtrusive presence that accompanies.
HARMONIE music on YouTube
If you prefer YouTube, here you will find a selection of songs in video format. Many people also find the visual component of relaxing images accompanying the music useful.
Bring HARMONIE® to your home
If you want to have full access to the HARMONIE® collection to use it every night, without depending on your Internet connection or streaming platforms, you can download the tracks directly from my shop.
HARMONIE® music is designed to be a daily tool for well-being. Many people tell me they have integrated it into their evening routine: twenty minutes of listening before bed, with the lights dimmed, perhaps accompanied by a light breathing or meditation practice.
Discover and download the HARMONIE collection →
How to integrate music into your sleep routine
Sleep music works best when it becomes part of a ritual. It is not a magic pill that you take and solve the problem. It is a tool that works together with other practices to create the ideal conditions for rest.
Here is how I use it and how I recommend supplementing it:
An hour before bedtime: start creating your “transition zone.” Turn down the lights, put away your smartphone (or at least turn on do-not-disturb mode), crank the music to 432Hz. This signals your body that it’s time to slow down.
Twenty minutes of mindful listening: sit or lie down comfortably. Close your eyes. Listen to the music with presence, without doing anything else. If the mind wanders, gently bring it back to the sounds. This is the time when the nervous system really begins to relax.
Let the music continue as you fall asleep-don‘t turn it off as soon as you go to bed. Let it accompany the transition to sleep. Many platforms allow you to set an automatic shut-off timer after 30-60 minutes, so it won’t continue throughout the night.
Beyond sleep: the transformative power of sound
What I have discovered in working with 432Hz music goes beyond just helping me sleep better. It is a portal to a deeper dimension of listening.
In my article on how the 432Hz frequency affects well-being, I delve into how this tuning works not only on sleep, but on all aspects of our emotional and physical lives. Music becomes medicine when we listen to it with intention.
Many people who have started listening to HARMONIE® for sleep later tell me that they have also integrated it at other times: during morning meditation, during work breaks to reset the mind, during yoga or Theta Healing® practices.
Questions I’m often asked
“Should I use headphones or can I listen with speakers?”
Both modes work, but they have slightly different effects. With headphones the experience is more immersive, especially if you use binaural frequencies. With speakers, the music fills the room space and creates a more enveloping atmosphere. Try both and see what works best for you.
“How long does it take before we see results?”
It depends. Some people notice an improvement from the very first night. Others need a few weeks for the body to learn to recognize music as a signal to relax. Consistency is important: the more regularly you use it, the more effective it becomes.
“Does it work for children, too?”
Absolutely. Many parents use HARMONIE® music to help children calm down before bedtime. Children are particularly receptive to the natural frequencies of 432Hz.
An invitation to listen
What I ask is simple: try it. Tonight, instead of staying awake and fighting with insomnia, let the music do its job. Don’t expect miracles the first time, but give it a chance.
Put on one of the playlists I shared, dim the lights, close your eyes and simply listen. Let the 432Hz frequencies do what they do best: remind you that rest is natural, that your body knows how to relax, that you don’t have to force anything.
Sleep is not something to be conquered. It is something to be welcomed.
And if this music accompanies you to a deeper sleep, I will be happy to know. Write to me, tell me about your experience. Every story reminds me why I do this work.
Recommended insights:
- 432Hz music: the frequency of nature
- HARMONIE: how meditation concerts are born
- Meditation and music: an inner journey
Christian DeLord
Sound & Theta Healer | Bridge Between Worlds
