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At The Right Tempo: BPM and Daily Life

By Paulo Camacho

The human brain is a funny thing: it’s very susceptible to tempo […] You put the right words to it, and it becomes very influential.

That’s a quote from comedian and pop/country singer-songwriter Ray Stevens. It’s a hard statement to argue with — after all, tempo surrounds us, in just about every facet of our existence. It’s in the clocks that dictate our schedules, with the uniform “tick-tock” that never wavers; it’s in our heartbeats, whether we’re at rest, excited, anxious, or sick — always set to a constant (yet unique) tempo of its own; and it’s in the music we listen to, whether we’re deep in thought, exercise, or relaxation. There is a tempo that sets all aspects of our lives. Here are some examples:


CPR

You might have already heard the anecdotes, either by word-of-mouth, or on that latest perusing through Reddit — if you want to do CPR right, you do it to the tune of The Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive”. While medical professionals have stated this as an incomplete trope — one must consider the depth of compressions, as well as rate — there is truth to the idea that a steady, quick tempo is key to effective CPR. In fact, the recommended rate is between 100 and 120 beats per minute, and the Gibb brothers’ famous disco tune falls well within that range (103 BPM).

This is important to remember, as a 2015 study published by professionals from Duke and Emory Universities has found an inverse relationship between the time CPR is administered to someone after collapse, and the chances of that person’s survival.

Other songs that people should model their chest compressions after? “Dancing Queen” by ABBA, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce & Jay-Z, and “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira. Click this link for a list of songs that align with proper CPR tempo.


Falling Asleep

Many people have probably used sound in one way or another to help themselves fall asleep, whether it was listening to the classical tones of Beethoven, or a babbling brook. However, research has found that a relatively slow tempo — around 60 BPM, to be more exact — can help people fall asleep. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as it has bore true in pop culture for years, but it still isn’t any less interesting.

After all, the phenomenon has to do with the brain’s production of alpha waves, which promote relaxation, meditation, and rest. Studies have shown that an increase in alpha waves lies in conjunction with slow-tempoed music, but not necessarily with genre. With that in mind, it’s not just classical music that can serve as an individual’s sleep aid. Songs by Sam Smith (“Stay With Me,” “I’m Not The Only One”), John Legend (“All of Me”) and Ellie Goulding (“Love Me Like You Do”) are examples of popular songs that fit the “sleep tempo” mold.


Exercise

We all have them — songs that pump you up for runs and exercise sessions. Whether they get you on an emotional high, or give you an adrenaline rush, exercise playlists exist for this very reason. I even wrote an article on the staff of Picardy and their choices for exercise music, once upon a time.

But this doesn’t take away the role tempo plays in exercise music. According to some studies, motivation to exercise tops out to music at around 145 beats per minute. However, tempo can positively affect people’s duration of exercise and, hence, endurance.

Here’s a good rule of thumb, if you want to take advantage of your exercise routine (especially if that’s simply jogging, running, or even walking): don’t use music with tempos that are so fast, as it will tire you out — according to Prof. Lee Bartel of the University of Toronto, you should count the steps per minute of your brisk walking pace, then find songs at the BPM that correlate to that pace:

“To have music at a beat that’s faster than what you’re going to walk or run is counterproductive. Choose music that is at the right speed.”