Personalized Music, Dreaming During Propofol Sedation
Personalized Music Increases Dreaming During Propofol Sedation: A Randomized Trial Comparing Preferred Music, Matched Non-preferred Music, and Silence
Wonkwang University Hospital
300 participants
Jun 24, 2026
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
This randomized clinical trial will evaluate whether music delivered through closed-back headphones during intravenous propofol sedation affects dreaming and the overall sedation experience. Adults scheduled for elective procedures under spinal anesthesia or peripheral nerve block with propofol sedation will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: patient-selected preferred music, matched non-preferred music, or silence with identical headphones. The main purpose of the study is to determine whether listening to music increases the occurrence of dream recall compared with silence, and whether personally preferred music makes recalled dreams more pleasant than matched non-preferred music. Dream recall and dream pleasantness will be assessed after recovery using a standardized interview. The study will also evaluate dream content, patient satisfaction, sedative and opioid requirements, hemodynamic variability, postoperative pain, nausea and vomiting, recovery time, and adverse events. This study is intended to determine whether a simple, low-cost headphone-based music intervention can improve patient-centered quality of propofol sedation without compromising safety.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria6
- Adults aged 19 years or older.
- Scheduled to undergo an elective procedure under spinal anesthesia or peripheral nerve block with intravenous propofol sedation.
- American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I to III.
- Able to provide written informed consent.
- Able to wear closed-back headphones during the study period.
- Able to complete postoperative interviews and study questionnaires.
Exclusion Criteria7
- Planned general anesthesia.
- Severe hearing impairment that would interfere with the auditory intervention.
- Major psychiatric instability or condition that may interfere with study participation or dream assessment.
- Expected significant intraoperative bleeding.
- Inability to complete the required postoperative interviews or questionnaires.
- Contraindication to propofol or other study sedative agents.
- Refusal or withdrawal of informed consent.
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Interventions
A personally selected music track will be played through closed-back headphones during intravenous propofol sedation.
A pleasant, non-selected music track matched by genre, tempo, and loudness will be played through closed-back headphones during intravenous propofol sedation.
Participants will wear identical closed-back headphones during intravenous propofol sedation, but no audio will be played.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
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NCT07638072