How to Make a Mixed CD to Help You Fall Asleep

Listening to the whir of a fan, a low-volume radio, or a sound machine can help you fall asleep, but these methods don't work for everyone. Fans can get cold, radio stations play jarring commercials and the sound of tropical birds chirping may be more irritating than soothing. Listening to a steady stream of music that you like and find relaxing is a great way to help lull you to sleep, and takes only a little effort to put together.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• CD burner and software
• Blank CDs
• Permanent marker
• CD labels (optional)

1. Collect a wide selection of your CDs, or pull up your mp3 collection.
2. Follow the directions in your mp3 or CD burner software to create a new playlist. If you haven't already, you may need to upload the CDs you plan to use onto your computer.
3. Start with your favorite artists. No matter what genre of music you listen to, chances are that the performers have included ballads or mellow tunes to round out their albums.
4. Select pieces that have a steady flow to them, with a consistent tone and connected verses. Avoid any songs with abrupt changes in tempo, drastic volume shifts, or odd sound mixes.
5. Consider instrumental pieces or songs with few lyrics. It doesn't have to be classical music if you don't appreciate that genre. Many pop and rock artists include instrumental openers or transitions on their albums that are mellow enough to use in your mix CD.
6. Avoid any frenetic dance tunes, loud and aggressive songs, or pieces you find particularly emotional. You don't want to have the urge to dance or shake your fists in the air when you're trying to fall asleep.
7. If you can't find enough suitable songs in your collection, consider purchasing a new CD or downloading some from online music stores. Dare to try some of the mellower tunes in the easy listening, classical, or jazz sections. Many R&B songs can be soothing and relaxing without being boring.
8. Choose tunes you like. If you find certain songs or genres offensive or boring when you're awake, you'll most likely find them just as irritating when you're trying to fall asleep. The key to relaxation is to be happy and forget about things that bother you--so it's important to listen to music that you enjoy.
9. Choose a unifying theme. It's best in a mix if the songs flow together and gradually lull you to sleep. You might make a mix with only female vocalists in a similar range, or all jazz music, or maybe all the ballads from a particular artist.
10. Make more than one mix list. Listening to the same tunes every night will work for awhile, but then you'll get bored or irritated by it. Make sure you have some other mixes to switch to when you need a change.
11. Make each playlist 20 to 30 minutes long. Over time you'll learn how many songs you usually fall asleep after, and you can adjust accordingly. You don't want to feel sleepy and then have subsequent songs keep you awake, or force you to move and turn off the player.
12. Place the slowest tracks at the end of the playlist to help gradually lull you to sleep.
13. When you have your playlist put together, listen to them in order to see how you like it and how the tracks flow together. Remove any songs that seem jarring or out of place.
14. Burn the list to a blank CD.
15. Using permanent marker or special computer CD labels, title the CD so you can find it easily (e.g. "Jazz Sleep Mix" or "Mellow Mix 1").

Tips & Warnings

• Sites like iTunes and Real Player offer free software to help you play music, create playlists, and burn CDs. They also offer mp3 stores where you can find and purchase all types of digital music.