Rhythm for Calm & Better Sleep

Why It Matters
Maintaining healthy sleep and circadian rhythms is crucial for brain health. During sleep, the brain consolidates memories, clears out waste, and restores energy. Regulating the nervous system through rhythmic awareness and breathing helps reduce stress and improve sleep quality.

How Rhythm Helps

• Slow rhythmic breathing supports relaxation and sleep onset.
• Gentle tapping or humming entrains calm, steady breathing patterns.
• Soft, predictable rhythm reduces overactivation of sensory pathways.

Evening Reset Routine
Goal: Replace unhelpful evening habits (e.g. caffeine, doom-scrolling).

How: When cravings or restlessness hit, play slow, grounding beats by tapping at 60–70 BPM for 3–5 mins. You can also hum or breathe in rhythm.

Why It Works: Provides a physical, rhythmic alternative reward, releasing dopamine in a balanced way while soothing the nervous system.

Try This: Rhythmic Breathing Reset 

Guided breathing synced to our "Night Pulse" playlist. A calming collection of tracks designed for rhythmic breathing, tapping, or mindful listening. Use it to unwind before bed, reset after a long day, or drift into deep sleep as your body syncs with a slower pulse. Use gentle tapping or vocalisation (“1-2-3-4 inhale…”) to regulate stress and ease into sleep.

START EXPERIMENTING

Download our Quick Start Guide for

Guided Breathing

Try our “Night Pulse” playlist.

DRUMMING

Banging the drums unleashes tension and boosts the production of endorphins, your brain's natural mood-lifters.

Drumming is a helpful tool for reducing stress levels, as it provides a rhythmic and repetitive activity that can promote relaxation and mindfulness. When drumming, you can focus on the sound and rhythm of the drums, which can help shift your attention away from stressful thoughts and feelings. 

Regular drumming practice can help establish a routine (a rhythm) and provide a sense of structure and predictability, which can be helpful for managing stress, promoting well-being and getting a good nights sleep.

A study published in the journal Integrative Medicine Research demonstrated that drumming interventions can improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia symptoms.

Read the research paper here.

SLEEP

During sleep, the brain also undergoes important physiological processes that support brain health. The glymphatic system, a waste clearance system in the brain, becomes more active during sleep, helping to clear out toxic substances that can accumulate in the brain over time. Sleep helps regulate hormones that affect mood and stress, such as cortisol and serotonin.

Research has found that sleep deprivation during middle and old age has been linked to an increased risk of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Lack of sleep can have detrimental effects on memory, attention and decision-making. 

Here are some sleep tips to help you succeed.

1. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night
2. Check your mattress for support
3. Ensure your room is not too hot/cold
4. Listen to calm music before bedtime
5. Switch off devices 1 hour before bed
6. Limit caffeine during the evening
7. Don't eat a lot late at night

MINDFULNESS

Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help reduce stress and improve cognitive function. A bedtime meditation routine can also help you to get a good nights sleep. Practicing Yoga or meditation can be a good way to help prepare you for a restful sleep.

Begin with short guided meditation sessions. Use mindfulness apps or online videos. Find a quiet space, focus on your breath, and gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable.

Pay attention to your posture and technique to prevent strain or injury, and take regular breaks to rest and stretch. Stay hydrated and fuel your body with nutritious foods to maintain energy levels and support overall well-being.

Regular meditation, even as little as 10-15 minutes per day, has been linked to increases in grey matter, particularly in areas related to memory, emotional regulation, and stress reduction. Practices like mindfulness help improve focus and mental clarity​.

START YOUR EXPERIMENT

Rhythm for Routine & Motivation

Why It Matters
Healthy daily habits form the foundation of long-term brain and body health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights the importance of physical activity, balanced nutrition and consistency in routines for maintaining overall wellbeing.

How Rhythm Helps

• Pair exercise and walking routines with rhythmic playlists to build consistency.
• Use rhythmic cues in cooking (“Kitchen Beat”) to encourage mindful eating.
• Rhythmic repetition supports behavioural reinforcement turning effort into habit.

Habit & Reward Routine
Goal: Build consistency and self-control.

How: Pair everyday tasks (walking, cooking, cleaning) with a rhythmic cue.

Example: Use a playlist at a consistent tempo while cooking healthy meals or exercising. The rhythm becomes a behavioural anchor, predictable, rewarding, grounding.

Try This: Kitchen Beat

Drum on utensils to a 100 BPM groove while preparing a healthy dinner.

START EXPERIMENTING

Download our Quick Start Guide for 

Playlists for Walking, Cleaning & Cooking

Try our PLAYLISTS designed to turn daily routines into rhythmic rituals that build consistency, motivation and joy.

AEROBIC EXERCISE

The World Health Organisation recommends that we should aim for 150 mins of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 mins of vigorous intensity activity a week. This works out to just 10-20 minutes per day. 

BLOOD PRESSURE

When our blood pressure is too high (hypertension), it puts extra strain on the brain. Persistent high blood pressure can increase the risk of developing serious conditions, such as: 

• heart disease
• heart attacks
• strokes
• heart failure
• kidney disease
• vascular dementia

Aim to keep your blood pressure less than 120/80mmHg. Healthy lifestyle changes can help lower your blood pressure, such as:

• Don't eat too much salt
• Avoid adding salt to meals
• Have less than 6g of salt a day
• Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
• Less than 14 alcohol units a week
• Don't drink too much caffeine
• No more than 4 cups of coffee a day
• Stop smoking
• Get active to lose weight

BLOOD SUGAR 

Losing weight will make it easier for your body to lower your blood sugar level, and can improve your blood pressure and cholesterol. This will also help to reduce the risk of developing type-2 diabetes.

CHOLESTEROL

Too much cholesterol can block your blood vessels. It makes you more likely to have heart problems or a stroke. Aim to keep your cholesterol below 193 mg/dL or 5.0 mmol/L.

Guidance on lowering your cholesterol

BODY MASS INDEX (BMI)

BMI is a good starting point for the majority of people to work out whether you are in a healthy category by using two simple measures - weight and height. It can help assess if you are at a higher risk of developing health problems like heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

A healthy BMI is between 18.5 - 25 kg/m2.

If you are overweight, it's best to lose weight slowly over time, aiming for around 0.5 to 1kg a week. 

Use the BMI calculator to see where you are on the scale, and then make small, realistic changes to your diet and physical activity. 

NUTRITION

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish, nuts, and seeds have been shown to support brain health by reducing inflammation and promoting healthy brain cell membranes. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can also protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can contribute to age-related cognitive decline.

Daily Recommendations

• 5 portions (400g) of fruit & vegetables
• Less than 90g red/processed meat
• 3 or more portions of starchy foods
• Less than 6g of salt
• Less than 50g of free sugars

Ensure typical weekly diet includes 3 or more of the recommendations above. 

Here are some core elements of a healthy diet plan that can improve brain health.

WHOLE FOODS

Focus on eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. These foods provide a variety of nutrients that are essential for brain health, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS

Include sources of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, such as fatty fish (e.g., salmon, mackerel, and sardines), nuts, and seeds. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to improve brain function and reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

LOW-GLYCEMIC INDEX CARBS

Choose low-glycemic index carbohydrates such as whole grains, legumes, and non-starchy vegetables. These release glucose into the bloodstream slowly, providing a steady supply of energy to the brain.

ANTIOXIDANT-RICH FOODS

Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, such as berries, dark chocolate, and leafy greens. Antioxidants help protect the brain from oxidative stress, which can damage brain cells and contribute to cognitive decline.

LIMT SUGAR & PROCESSED FOODS

Minimise your daily intake of sugar to less than 50g and processed foods, as they can contribute to inflammation and increase the risk of cognitive decline.

ALCOHOL & HYDRATION

10 to 20 years of regularly drinking more than 14 units a week is not good for your brain and puts you at risk from stroke, brain damage and damage to the nervous system. There's also evidence that regular drinking at these levels can make your mental health worse. 

14 units is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 6 medium glasses of wine.

Avoid drinking more than 14 units of alcohol in a week. Advice/tips to help you cut down 

Drink 6-8 glasses of fluid per day to hydrate your brain. Water, low-fat milk, sugar-free drinks, tea and coffee, all count.

SMOKING

Research has found that smokers have a thinner cerebral cortex than non-smokers. This region of the brain is responsible for thinking skills including memory and learning, so thicker is better. Quitting is the best way to protect your brain and the rest of your body.

Here are some tips to help you succeed.

1. Write your goals on our template
2. Tell people you're quitting
3. Remember what worked in the past
4. Use stop smoking aids
5. Have a plan if you are tempted
6. List your smoking triggers
7. Keep cravings at bay by keeping busy
8. Exercise away the urge to smoke
9. Join the Facebook group for support

In England, the NHS will start offering a new treatment to people who want to quit cigarettes. Varenicline, is a daily tablet given over a few months, available on prescription only, which means you can't buy it over the counter at a pharmacy or supermarket. 

Help to quit smoking is available online at NHS Smokefree, speak to your doctor about varenicline if have not managed to quit successfully using other medications like nicotine patches or gum.

START YOUR EXPERIMENT