How to use SiriusXM’s calming music channels for stress relief & better sleep

During stressful times (looking at you, Covid-19 pandemic and 24-hour news cycle), calming music can help soothe your spirits. The unwind-worthy music channels on SiriusXM - featuring ambient music, instrumentals, melodies for meditation, and more - can promote a feeling of relaxation and tranquility. Allow the channels from SiriusXM's Relax collection to provide a serene musical backdrop to your everyday life, including SiriusXM Chill, Spa Instrumentals, Krishna Das Yoga Radio, and many others, available to stream on the SXM App now.

Related: Beat the heat with 6 chill music channels featuring soft rock, acoustic pop & more

How to Use Calming Music for Stress Relief

Stress creates cortisol, a hormone that tells your body when you're in danger or need to be on high alert. But being under constant stress and therefore creating consistent high cortisol levels can lead to health problems like increased anxiety and depression. A 2021 study published in Brain Sciences showed that adults who listened to music both at home and in a laboratory setting had reduced cortisol levels. Similarly, music has been shown to reduce chronic pain, likely through "distraction, relaxation, [and] positive emotion," according to Scientific Reports. Consider incorporating calming music during these parts of your day to encourage similar feelings.

Listen to Calming Music Before Going to Sleep

After a stressful or taxing day, it can be hard to unwind enough to fall asleep at night. But researchers at Stanford University confirm that music with slow beats "encourages the slow brainwaves that are associated with hypnotic or meditative states," which may help you get some much-needed shuteye. Try breaking away from TV, computer, and phone screens and listen to calming music instead before bed to promote restfulness.

Listen to Calming Music While Cooking & Eating

The fulfillment we get from food isn't all that different from the fulfillment we get from music. A study in Nature Neuroscienceshowed an increase in dopamine in the brain with music listeners that's similar to the way we feel after satisfying a food craving. It makes sense to listen to relaxing music while cooking and eating, relieving stress and doubling up on that feeling of satisfaction.

Related: Stay in the zone with these feel-good channels perfect for working remotely

Listen to Calming Music in the Workplace

If you can listen to music throughout your workday, ambient tones and meditative melodies might help keep work-related stress at bay. But even catching a few minutes of calming music could provide some relief. A study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing looked at how first-line nurses relax while on break. They found that "compared with chair rest, participants had a lower perceived stress level, cortisol, heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and higher finger temperature while listening to music."

Listen to Calming Music During Your Commute

Before you even get to work, set the tone for the day with your music choice. You can make those minutes sitting in traffic or on the train really count by streaming calming music and taking your mind off your stressors. Then, at the end of the day, a choice of calming music will help take you away from the loud noises of public transportation and unwind after the workday so you can go home and make the most of your time off.

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