Dose-Dependent Regulatory Patterns of Self-Selected Pre-Sleep Music on the Relationship Between Anxiety and Poor Sleep

Both music listening and physical activity have been identified as lifestyle modifications that show promise in influencing the psychological and physiological processes supporting high-quality sleep. This cross-sectional study examined (a) whether self-selected pre-sleep music moderates the relationship between psychological distress (anxiety, mood, and stress), and (b) whether individual differences (physical activity level, age and gender) moderate this relationship in adults (n = 269, 52.6% female). Moderation analyses revealed a marginally significant interaction between anxiety and pre-sleep music use (β = −0.170, p = .050), indicating that the association between anxiety and poor sleep quality was weaker at higher levels of music use. Simple slope analyses supported a dose-response pattern, with the strength of the anxiety-sleep association decreasing as pre-sleep music use increased. Physical activity, age and gender did not moderate these effects (p > .05). These findings may suggest pre-sleep music reflects an implicit association as an avoidance-coping effort in individuals with elevated psychological anxiety. Practically, these findings imply that addressing psychological distress may have greater benefits for sleep quality than the use of pre-sleep music alone.