Scientists think Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon can help lull your BABY to sleep

Forget Baa, Baa Black Sheep – the perfect lullaby for babies may be one inspired by the experimental musical soundscapes of Pink Floyd. 

The British Academy of Sound Therapy has produced a piece of music based on decades of scientific research which is all but guaranteed to get a baby to drift off.

It contains watery sounds like those in the safety of the womb, soothing wind chimes and the calming clatter of rainsticks.

Underpinning it is the influence of Pink Floyd’s seminal classic The Dark Side of The Moon.

While that may not seem like a classic for the under-ones, the album contains many elements good for lullabies, according to Lyz Cooper, who founded the British Academy of Sound Therapy and produced the lullaby in collaboration with music producer Sillkey, based on a commission by supermarket Aldi’s baby and toddler brand, Mamia (SUBS – pls keep all of this high up).

Mrs Cooper said: ‘While older lullabies like Baa, Baa Black Sheep have their place, the soundscapes of Pink Floyd provide real inspiration for getting babies to sleep.

‘Pink Floyd take you on a musical journey, very much like the journey to sleep in a lullaby, often without the distraction of vocals.

‘The kind of music which aims to alter consciousness, and get people to turn on, tune in and drop out, is also very good for a chilled-out baby.

‘The influence of these songs really will help them drift away.’

Pink Floyd songs which are reflected in the lullaby include Wish You Were Here, which starts with white noise.

The lullaby contains a warmer version of this sound, which may be reminiscent of the womb.

A soundscape similar to that of the lullaby can also be heard in the first few minutes of the Pink Floyd song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, which features chimes and rich droning sounds like those in their lullaby.

The lullaby is five minutes and 18 seconds long, because research shows five minutes is the amount of time it takes the average baby to relax, based on tracking infants’ decelerating heartbeats.

Pink Floyd songs which are reflected in the lullaby include Wish You Were Here, which starts with white noise. Pictured: The Dark Side of the Moon album cover

The rhythm of the lullaby, called Drift, is set at 50 beats per minute, which is just a bit slower than a normal resting heart rate, so it may remind a baby of their mother’s heartbeat in the womb without being too fast to stop them falling asleep.

There are no vocals in the lullaby, because evidence suggest babies relax more quickly when there are no words played for them to focus on.

The song, available using the attached QR code (SUBS – pls change this bit if needed) has repetitive chords and pulsating keyboards.

Mrs Cooper said: ‘Songs without vocal elements were more relaxing so we’ve created an instrumental piece featuring sounds that were found to be calming.’