Use of Recorded Poetic Audios to Manage Levels of Anxiety and Sleep Disorders

Anxiety and sleep disorders are highly prevalent affecting millions of people worldwide. Complementary therapies like art therapy, bibliotherapy, and music have been used to manage these problems. The objective of this study was to evaluate levels of anxiety and sleep disorder symptoms of participants before and after a 30-day intervention of listening to short poetic audios. Thirty-one participants listened to audio-taped messages, which associate music and literature for 30 days. Questionnaires were answered by participants prior to the start of the study (baseline collection) and after 30 days (final collection). Setting: the study was done in the city of Ribeirao Preto (Sao Paulo-Brazil). Participants were 31 adults with anxiety symptoms and sleep problems. The scores of the questionnaires were analyzed and compared by the t test for paired samples (alpha = 0.05), used to evaluate possible differences in anxiety and stress symptoms and sleep disturbances before and after the 30 days of intervention. Significantly lower levels of anxiety and sleep disorders were found after the 30-day intervention. This study reinforces the benefits of music and literature for improving the quality of life of people by reducing levels of anxiety and sleep disorder symptoms.