As your pregnancy progresses, sleep may become an increasingly elusive luxury. Between an aching back, bulging belly, and frequent trips to the bathroom during the night, you may find yourself unable to fall or stay asleep. But a recent study may be able to provide you with some harmonious sleep relief.

According to a study conducted by Hui-Ling Lai, a professor of nursing from Taiwan doing research at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, music can improve sleep. The study followed 60 volunteers who reported trouble sleeping and asked half to listen to sedative music of their choice for 45 minutes while in bed in the dark, while the others went to bed without listening to music.

After three weeks, the group who listened to music reported that they fell asleep faster, slept longer and more deeply, and experienced less drowsiness during the day. This group also had lower nighttime heart and respiratory rates.

Lai believes that relaxing music may aid sleep by reducing the body's levels of stress hormones. So the next time you're feeling restless, turn on some mellow tunes and drift away to a better night's sleep.