Music programs improved sleep-quality scores in older adults
A review of randomized trials found better sleep questionnaire scores with music programs. Other measured benefits involved mood and cognition, but practical significance and lasting effects remain unclear.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Across randomized trials in older adults, music-based programs improved average sleep-quality questionnaire scores compared with control groups. Depression, anxiety and cognitive test scores also favored the programs. The abstract supports improvement on these measured scores, while leaving the size of any noticeable daily-life change and the durability of improvement unclear.
The abstract does not detail control activities, overall follow-up periods, study-quality results or harms. These omissions limit interpretation of how the findings would translate into everyday experience.
What researchers found
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score
Music programs versus control groups; lower scores favored music. Assessment timing for this pooled result is not reported.
What the score measures
Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The pooled result is a difference in questionnaire points; it does not specify extra hours slept or how much improvement each participant noticed.
Schedules remain an open question
Subgroup analyses linked certain program schedules with larger sleep-score changes. These comparisons do not establish a best schedule, because the abstract does not describe direct randomized comparisons between schedules.
The original publication
Effects of music-based interventions on sleep quality in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
He Y, Liu Y, He J et al.
Front Psychiatry · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41816526
- Record checked
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