Listening to the sound of your own brain waves enhances sleep quality and quantity

This pilot study examined the effects of relaxing personalized sound sequences (PSS), derived from individual slow-wave brain activity on sleep in adults with subjective insomnia complaints. Thirteen participants underwent one-night polysomnography to record delta wave activity (0.5-4 Hz), which was then transformed into individualized sound sequences. A randomized, single-blind, crossover protocol was then conducted at home, including two conditions of 3-5 consecutive nights: listening to the PSS and a non-personalized placebo sound sequence (PLA) for 30 min at bedtime. Objective sleep was assessed using a dry-electroencephalographic (EEG) headband and subjective sleep with a digital sleep diary. Compared to PLA, the PSS condition significantly increased total sleep time (Δ = +21.4 min, p = 0.05) and REM sleep proportion (Δ = +2.6 %, p < 0.05), reduced REM latency (Δ = -15.6 min, p < 0.05) and improved overall sleep quality score (Δ = +1.5 A U., p < 0.05). Exploratory trends suggested that participants with the shorter sleep duration (<390 min, n = 5) and longer sleep onset latencies (>20 min, n = 4) in the PLA condition experienced greater improvements with PSS. These preliminary results suggest that listening to one's own slow brain waves converted into sound may improve both sleep quality and quantity in individuals with moderate insomnia, with potentially enhanced benefits for those with more severe sleep difficulties.