Sona’s Music Helped Me Relax. Here’s Why You Should Try It Too #GeekLeap

I’ve all the time had issue turning off my mind at night time. For example, I’ve written this intro in my head a minimum of a dozen occasions whereas looking at my ceiling earlier than falling asleep. It isn’t a secret; I am an anxious individual. 

Enter the idea of sleep apps. Most individuals have used a minimum of one. They’re useful instruments that show you how to let go and deal with sleep. I’ve tried a lot, and most work properly sufficient, however they don’t seem to be one thing I hold utilizing after the preliminary pleasure wears off. 

Over the previous few weeks, I have been testing Sona, an app that makes use of music from Grammy-winning producers that can assist you handle stress and get some sleep. It gained the CES Innovation Award in 2022. Comply with me by a journey of what I favored, what I might do with out and what I like to recommend. 

Can music show you how to cut back stress?

Sona relies on the concept music will help cut back nervousness and that it will possibly enhance your psychological well being. The app is designed to extend alpha and theta mind waves, which naturally happen after we’re deeply relaxed or sleeping. Sona has in-house analysis in partnership with Nielsen Neuroscience to check the app’s effectiveness in lowering stress. That analysis concluded that Sona’s music has a restorative or meditative impact on members. 

Sounds nice. However we have to dig deeper to make sure this analysis was really backed by science, because the app claims.  

The idea of music remedy is not new. There is a huge catalog of analysis displaying how music will help lower nervousness. Unbiased research show that music can improve alpha waves and cut back beta waves as a result of it helps calm down and distract from unfavorable emotions. Music additionally decreases cortisol within the mind, which is the stress hormone. Once we’re feeling anxious, cortisol ranges improve. Listening to music will help hold them in verify. 

Since music is a confirmed method to calm the nervous system, show you how to go to sleep quicker and improve the standard of your sleep, the premise of this app holds water. Now let’s speak about what it was like utilizing the Sona app. 

Utilizing Sona for sleep and rest

Total, I favored how easy the app is. If you open it, you will be prompted to take a brief questionnaire that helps decide how typically it’s best to use the app to ease your nervousness or show you how to sleep. My “listening dosage” was quarter-hour, 4 occasions every week. After getting that suggestion, the app robotically units your classes to that point. Nevertheless, you possibly can lengthen it in that case desired.  

Sona has a free model and a premium subscription that prices $4.99 monthly or $29.99 every year. That is fairly low in comparison with Headspace at $12.99 monthly and Calm at $14.99 monthly, although it is price noting that these meditation apps have extra choices than Sona. 

Sona options embrace: 

• Giant library of music from Grammy-winning composers 
• Listening prescriptions 
• Weekly listening analytics and psychological well being survey check-ins
• Favorites listing
• Skip, replay or loop songs

The songs had been… good

I used Sona primarily once I was going to sleep, in addition to whereas studying earlier than mattress and dealing. I let the songs play the primary few nights, listening to no matter was subsequent within the queue. All of them are low-tempo, acoustic and piano compositions. All of the elements, from the melody to the rhythm, are meant that can assist you calm down. 

The songs had been all good to take heed to, although I shortly discovered that I had a choice for sure forms of stress-free music and that some sorts had been a bit distracting. Fortunately, you’ve gotten the choice to skip, pause and repeat songs. To that finish, among the finest options is the favourite button. The app was essentially the most stress-free once I might play the songs I loved. 

The app actually is… stress-free

One of many strongest features of this app is how every part is designed to assist ease nervousness. It felt like a seamless expertise. If you open the app and begin the music, you will get an inhale-exhale immediate that units the tone. The background of the music display screen is calm water waves. 

What’s extra, the songs stream constantly, so you will not have the jarring factor of your playlist leaping from one excessive to a different. With Sona, every music fades out and in, which I discovered excellent for drifting off to sleep. 

Too lengthy; did not learn?

I used to be pleasantly shocked by Sona’s capacity to assist me calm down and sleep. It is a primary app with a big music catalog that means that you can favourite, skip and loop. The music was spectacular and nice. There have been a couple of situations of the music randomly pausing in the midst of my classes, but it surely wasn’t a daily drawback. 

Sona is much less sturdy than different apps, particularly if you would like a meditation-heavy expertise. Sona affords respiration prompts, but it surely’s not centered on guiding respiration. It is primarily a music app for lowering nervousness and growing sleep. 

Whilst you do not want headphones to hear, utilizing them whereas attempting to sleep did assist me focus solely on the music.