How to sleep when I feel stressed and anxious?

Sleeping while stressed or anxious is difficult because the nervous system stays alert. Gentle music can help by calming mental activity, slowing the body’s stress response, and creating a sense of safety that makes falling asleep feel easier and more natural.

When stress and anxiety are present, the body often remains in a state of readiness even at night. Thoughts may race, breathing stays shallow, and the nervous system continues to treat bedtime as a moment to stay alert rather than rest.

Trying to force sleep usually makes this worse. The more you focus on “needing” to sleep, the more pressure builds. What helps instead is supporting the body to gradually shift out of stress mode.

Music works well here because it doesn’t require effort or analysis. Slow, predictable sound helps lower nervous system arousal, ease emotional tension, and reduce the sense of urgency that anxiety creates around sleep.

Sleep-focused music often supports this transition by emphasising theta and delta ranges, which are associated with drowsiness and deep rest. Over time, consistent listening can make bedtime feel safer and less mentally charged.

Things to try

• Use calming pre-sleep music with a slow tempo and minimal variation for 15–30 minutes before bed, rather than waiting until you feel sleepy.

• Explore theta-range soundscapes (around 4–8 Hz) to ease anxious mental activity, then allow delta-based music to support deeper sleep once you’re lying down.

• Pair music with a simple mindfulness cue, such as following one repeating sound while letting the breath slow naturally.