When composer Max Richter performs his latest album live in Berlin this month, audience members will lie in beds rather than sit in seats, CNN reports.
Like the album, the concert will last eight hours and is designed to put listeners to sleep.
The album was released on iTunes over the weekend and is titled “Sleep.”
On the iTunes site, the album is described as an “eight-hour ambient piece scored for piano, strings, electronics and vocals,” with no words. Richter describes it as a “lullaby for a frenetic world and a manifesto for a slower pace of existence.”
The German-born British composer tells CNN Money:
“Sleep is a very important thing. The creation of lullabies is nearly universal in human culture. I’ve always been very interested in how music and sleep can relate.”
Richter worked with American neurologist David Eagleman on the album, telling CNN it was “an experiment into how music and consciousness connect.”
“Sleep” is currently available on iTunes for $34.99, but you don’t have to spend nearly that much on music that can help you get a better night’s rest.
Studies like one published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing in 2008 have shown that relaxing classical music can reduce sleeping problems. In that 2008 study, participants experienced such benefits by listening to relaxing classical music for only 45 minutes at bedtime.
For free options, check out Amazon's list of free MP3s. It currently includes about 150 classical pieces.
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