--- title: British Composer Explains Why He Composed an 8-Hour Lullaby description: Max Richter's album "Sleep" released on Friday. canonical: https://time.com/4022816/max-richter-sleep/ author: Tanya Basu article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-04T18:31:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:55.818Z article:section: Science og:title: Why a British Composer Hopes His Album Will Put You to Sleep og:description: Max Richter worked with a neuroscientist in developing his 8-hour piece. og:url: https://time.com/4022816/max-richter-sleep/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02bca79e76868d6d/69886253ab6d779c196a6086/max_richter_photo_by_mike_terry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Max_Richter_Photo_by_Mike_Terry og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why a British Composer Hopes His Album Will Put You to Sleep twitter:description: Max Richter worked with a neuroscientist in developing his 8-hour piece. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt02bca79e76868d6d/69886253ab6d779c196a6086/max_richter_photo_by_mike_terry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # That New 8-Hour Sleep Album—Explained > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is TIME's weekly climate and energy newsletter, written by senior correspondent Justin Worland. It connects the energy transition to the decisions reshaping business, technology, policy and markets. #### Where can I follow the energy transition as a business story? Future Proof covers climate and energy as an economic and business story rather than only an environmental one. It publishes every Friday and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes Future Proof? Justin Worland, a senior correspondent at TIME and an award-winning climate journalist, writes Future Proof. #### Is Future Proof free? Yes. Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=f92e2b04-2fd7-4746-8d7b-b071cad8618e&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep? [Watch (HLS stream): Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/o0FTMkL0.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2015-05-15. Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep?_  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Sep 4, 2015 6:31 PM UTC  Max Richter has composed an 8-hour album devoted entirely to sleep. Max Richter has composed an 8-hour album devoted entirely to sleep. Mike Terry  by [Tanya Basu](https://time.com/author/tanya-basu/)  ## Tanya Basu Sep 4, 2015 6:31 PM UTC British composer Max Richter hopes you are snoring before you finish his latest release. _Sleep,_ an 8-hour classical piece released Friday, features gentle strings and peaceful piano. He has called it a “personal lullaby for a frenetic world. A manifesto for a slower pace of existence.” Richter says sleep is an integral part of his creative process. “Sleeping has always been one of my favorite activities,” Richter told TIME. He’s also aware that most of us aren’t getting enough of it. Recent research shows that [high school students](http://time.com/3987375/sleep-school/), [air traffic controllers](http://time.com/?p=3991118) and even [surgeons](http://time.com/4012840/doctors-on-life-support/) are suffering from dangerous levels of sleep deprivation. Meanwhile, sales have skyrocketed for children’s book [_The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep_](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rabbit-Who-Wants-Fall-Asleep/dp/149617951X/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1439564474&sr=1-1&keywords=the+rabbit+who+wants+to+fall+asleep), written by a Swedish behavioral psychologist who [uses reinforcement techniques in the book to calm children into drifting off](http://time.com/4003405/amazons-book-sleep-kids/). **Read more**: [_The Power of Sleep_](http://time.com/3326565/the-power-of-sleep/) Richter, whose haunting style has made him a popular soundtrack composer for shows like HBO’s _The Leftovers_ and movies like the thriller _Shutter Island_, consulted with author and Baylor College neuroscientist [David Eagleman](http://www.eagleman.com/) in developing his composition_._ He composed the piece over the course of two years but wasn’t initially aiming to try to get people to fall asleep so much as slow down. (He’s simultaneously released a one-hour, condensed version of _Sleep_ meant for daydreamers.) Sleep deprivation is a thoroughly studied subject, but music’s role in promoting sleep has mostly focused on children. Could a lullaby for grownups actually work? In 2014, an album released in collaboration the British Academy of Sound Therapy purported to include “[the most relaxing song ever](http://youtu.be/L1TEpby279g),” a track titled “Weightless.” The song was able to drop heart rates by 35% in 40 women more than Mozart and Coldplay—but whether or not it promoted sleep was not part of the study. Richter is not looking for scientific proof that it works, per se. “Brain scans are interesting and all that,” he says. “But we’re overloaded with data. I see this project as a big pause button.” Richter will put on the first of a series of live performances in Berlin in the fall 2015\. It will begin at midnight and end at 8 am. The performance will be set up with the orchestra encircled by hundreds of beds. At 8 am the next day, Richter will ask the audience about their experience. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] You're watching Everwell. Know more, live better. If I don't get at least eight hours of sleep, I'm tired, I'm crabby, I'm sluggish, I have trouble thinking clearly, making decisions. I'd say people need around, you know, eight hours of sleep and but when you're younger your just able to still function with less If you think about it, sleep is a lot like weight. There's an ideal we're all suppose to meet but few of us do. So is getting less than the recommended eight hours a night really bad for us? Well a lot less is a problem. But if you're getting a little less, there's probably no need to lose sleep over it. Routinely sleeping less than seven hours a night leads to reduced attention, concentration, and memory in most people according to research. One result is an increased risk of car accidents, but individuals vary widely in how they're effected and how much [ MUSIC ] Getting six hours of sleep, for example, can have a severe impact on some people and barely make a difference in others. Though you may think you fall in the second category, it can be hard to judge accurately for yourself. Studies amongst sleep deprived people show that they often overestimate their alertness on tasks like driving. [ NOISE ] As for the effects on our health Studies overall have linked less than six hours a night with an increased risk of heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity, and premature death. Interestingly, getting lots of z's, meaning nine or more hours a night, is also associated with these risks. But it's unclear whether sleeping that much is the cause of health problems, or just the result. There's no evidence that sleeping in on weekends is harmful, and it may help make up for lost sleep during the week, but not entirely. Your best bet is to consistently get seven or eight hours a night. If your reaction to that is, dream on Try turning off that TV and shutting down your computer a little earlier every evening. It could help make that dream of getting more sleep a reality. 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