Frontiers in Public Health · Oct 31, 2026
A randomized controlled trial of a structured music-listening program on self-reported sleep quality among community-dwelling older adults
By Jingyuan Hu, Xiaochang LIU, Qing Shi et al.
Introduction: Sleep problems are common in later life, but evidence for structured, culturally adapted music-listening programs among general community-dwelling older adults remains limited. We evaluated whether a multicomponent music-listening program improved self-reported sleep quality compared with general health education. Methods: In this single-center, parallel-group, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial, 238 adults aged 60–80 years were randomized to a 6-week structured music-listening program incorporating slow-tempo music (n = 118) or general health education (n = 120). We assessed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) total score at baseline and immediately after the 6-week intervention. The primary intention-to-treat analysis used a linear mixed-effects model with a group-by-time interaction and prespecified covariate adjustment. Results: The intervention group showed a greater reduction in PSQI total score than the control group did (group × time β = −1.48, 95% CI −2.32 to −0.64; P < .001). Exploratory component analyses showed statistically significant improvements for sleep efficiency (β = −0.54, 95% CI −0.89 to −0.19; P = .003) and sleep disturbances (β = −0.18, 95% CI −0.31 to −0.05; P = .008). Conclusions: A 6-week structured, multicomponent music-listening program improved self-reported sleep quality, with notable benefits observed for sleep efficiency and reduced sleep disturbances.