Cardi B has taken the music world by storm in recent years with her energetic and unapologetic style. As one of the biggest female rappers today, her catchy songs top the charts and get stuck in millions of fans’ heads on repeat. But could listening to Cardi B right before bed also influence the dreams that follow? While it may seem an unlikely choice for bedtime listening, there is evidence that certain types of music can shape our dreams in both positive and negative ways. In this article, we will explore the potential impacts Cardi B’s music could have on listeners’ dreams, for better or worse, based on music’s established links to sleep and the qualities of Cardi B’s discography.

Upbeat Moods and Empowering Dreams

One potential positive influence Cardi B’s music could have is setting an upbeat and empowering mood prior to sleep. Many of Cardi B’s songs are high-energy anthems meant to make listeners feel confident and in control. Tracks like “Bodak Yellow,” “Money,” and “WAP” ooze with swagger and celebrate women taking charge of their lives and sexuality on their own terms. Listening to these kinds of empowering rhythms and lyrics before bed could translate those feelings into more positive and exciting dreams.

Research has shown music’s ability to influence mood states that then carry over into the dreaming process. One study found that listening to happy, relaxing music before sleep led to participants reporting happier and more relaxed dreams compared to those who listened to negative or neutral music (Fukuda & Morin, 1993). If Cardi B’s music puts listeners in an upbeat, confident mood, that mood may manifest during REM sleep cycles through vivid, empowering dream narratives that reflect similar themes of independence, sexuality, and personal achievement showcased in her songs. Fans could dream of living more fulfilling lives or accomplishing bold goals as a result of the inspirational pre-sleep listening.

Of course, not all of Cardi B’s discography promotes only positive feelings. Some songs discuss darker topics like relationship struggles, heartbreak, or criminal pasts that could potentially influence dreams in less upbeat ways if they disrupt relaxation or induce overstimulation before bed. Moderation would be key – focusing on only the most inspiring songs close to sleep time, while avoiding more intense tracks. Overall, when chosen and dosed carefully, Cardi B’s music seems capable of cultivating better dream quality through transferring its mood-boosting qualities across the waking-sleeping line.

Familiar Comfort and Calmer Dreams

In addition to setting an empowering mood, listening to a favorite artist like Cardi B could provide comforting familiarity before bed that aids relaxation. Hearing a familiar voice, especially one as recognizable and soothing as Cardi B’s, may help lull listeners into a calmer state of mind conducive to restorative sleep. Studies show music’s ability to decrease anxiety and promote relaxation when the tunes are personally meaningful or pleasurable to the listener (Pelletier, 2004). Cardi B fans who find her presence comforting could benefit from including some of her songs in a bedtime routine.

Familiarity theory proposes we feel safest and most secure around familiar people, places, and things due to learned associations between familiar cues and positive past experiences (Zajonc, 1968). Extending this concept, hearing a beloved artist’s familiar voice just before sleep could trigger feelings of safety, comfort, and relaxation through learned pairings between that artist and past enjoyable listening sessions. This sense of security may then facilitate more restful sleep and less disturbing dreams by satisfying our basic psychological need for predictability and control during the vulnerable sleep period.

Calmer Cardi B songs emphasizing melody over high-energy beats, like “Be Careful” or “I Do,” seem especially conducive to this effect. Their slower tempos and introspective lyrics allow the familiar comfort of Cardi B’s presence to shine through in a relaxing way. Overall, when selected carefully and in moderation, Cardi B’s familiar voice could serve as a comforting security blanket for fans drifting off, leading to more positive or calming dream states. Of course, individual tolerance would determine whether any overstimulation occurs from her music close to bedtime despite familiarity.

Lucid Dreaming Potential?

Some believe certain types of music may trigger lucid dreaming, a phenomenon where the dreamer realizes they are dreaming and can exert some degree of conscious control over the dream narrative. Theories suggest elements like rhythmic entrainment of brainwaves or associative learning between musical cues and lucidity could produce this effect (Stumbrys & Daniels, 2010). Given Cardi B’s energetic beats and catchy melodic hooks, some fans speculate her music may induce lucid dreams for similar reasons.

While anecdotally reported, scientific evidence directly linking specific music to increased lucidity is still lacking. Cardi B’s fast tempos could potentially synchronize brainwaves in a manner stimulating enough to cross over into dreams but not disruptive enough to prevent sleep onset. Complex rhythms and lyrics may also get associated with the border between waking and dreaming states over repeated pre-sleep listening sessions. However, without controlled studies, it remains uncertain if her style uniquely facilitates lucid dreaming or if reported cases are due to individual mind-music connections rather than the music itself.

More research is needed to determine if fast-paced hip hop like Cardi B’s optimally balances stimulation and relaxation to trigger lucidity or simply disrupts sleep architecture instead. Overstimulation from any intense auditory or visual inputs close to bedtime generally prevents deep sleep stages essential for lucid dream induction (Stumbrys et al., 2013). While Cardi B fans anecdotally connect her music to lucid experiences, definitive proof requires further investigation controlling for expectations, beliefs and individual responsiveness to different musical elements before making claims about specific artists’ direct dream-altering abilities.

Potential Negative Influences

As with any stimulating pre-sleep activity, Cardi B’s music also carries risks of negatively impacting sleep and dreams if not approached carefully. Loud volumes, an overabundance of high-energy tracks too close to bedtime, or overly intense lyrical content could backfire in several ways:

Difficulty Relaxing and Falling Asleep

Perhaps the biggest potential downside is Cardi B’s music may overstimulate some listeners and prevent relaxation, sleep onset, and restorative deep sleep stages. Fast beats, repetitive lyrics, and explicit content demands attention that conflicts with unwinding the body and mind. One study found participants who listened to arousing music before bed took longer to fall asleep and had disrupted sleep architecture compared to those listening to calm music or silence (Lai & Good, 2005). For sensitive individuals, even a single high-tempo Cardi B song may induce enough physiological or cognitive arousal to make falling asleep difficult.

Disrupted and Nightmarish Dreams

Poor sleep resulting from pre-bedtime overstimulation often leads to less restorative REM sleep and disrupted dreaming. Fragmented sleep architecture is linked to higher rates of nightmares and disturbing dreams as the brain fails to properly process and consolidate memories (Levin & Nielsen, 2009). Additionally, some listeners may find specific lyrical themes or music videos disturbing and anxiety-provoking if encountered close to sleep. Imagery lingering from Cardi B’s more intense or graphic content risks manifesting as unsettling dream content.

Earworms and Ruminating Thoughts

Catchy hooks have a way of bouncing around the brain long after the music stops, becoming intrusive “earworms” difficult to stop thinking about. Pre-sleep earworms triggered by melodic Cardi B tracks may disrupt sleep by stimulating ruminating thoughts instead of relaxation. One study found participants who experienced music-induced earworms before bed took longer to fall asleep than those who did not (Liikkanen, 2012). Even calming songs carry this risk if their melodies become obsessively repetitive inner monologues interfering with sleep onset.

Moderation is Key

Given these potential downsides, the key to harnessing any benefits and avoiding issues comes down to careful moderation when using Cardi B as a sleep aid. Some best practices include:

Choosing only calmer, slower Cardi B songs closer to bedtime that don’t demand too much attention. Save higher-energy tracks for earlier.

Limiting pre-sleep listening time to 30 minutes or less to avoid overstimulation and give the mind time to unwind before lights out.

Keeping the volume low to not disrupt sleep with loud noises but still receive relaxing auditory stimuli.

Experimenting on days with no time constraints to see how different songs personally impact sleep quality and dreams.

Developing alternative relaxing pre-sleep routines for nights when even mellow Cardi B proves too stimulating.

Recognizing individual tolerance varies, and some people may not be able to use her music as a sleep aid at all without consequences.

Overall, with careful consideration given to balancing stimulation and relaxation based on each listener’s needs and responsiveness, Cardi B’s music shows potential to positively shape dream experiences for fans when curated and dosed appropriately before bedtime. But moderation remains key to avoid