Being tired causes music to sound like it's playing faster...

Okay, I'm typing this after taking some Nyquil for a stuffy/runny nose, sinus congestion, and headaches. Yep, I have one of those awesome colds everyone's been talking about.

It's also 1:00 AM, so I'm already a bit tired to begin with.

This is a bizarre occurrence, but I've noticed that whenever I'm sort of tired, music seems to play faster, as if the tempo is sped up a bit. It's really odd! I'm listening to a song right now, and it seems like it's sped up so that instead of playing (for instance) 20 beats per minute, it's playing 24. But obviously, time is passing by normally.

Why does this happen?

Try it yourself... You might have to listen a bit to catch the increase in speed, but for me it's definitely there. I've been listening to I'll Be The One by Backstreet Boys, and So Cold by Breaking Benjamin (I noticed the speed increase in that one the most).

I've noticed a decrease or increase in tempo before. It's really interesting but I can't say they were all caused by being tired :D

It has to do with your perception. Just like time can seem to go by faster music can as well. Use of drugs (even legal ones) coould be an explanation because they alter your perception. Being tired also causes your perception to change.

Maybe you could do some research on this. I'd be interested to see what you find.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH2-TGUlwu4

I believe your brain processes information at a certain standpoint speed. I call this "sober," but even if you were not on drugs or drunk, there are things that could alter this speed. For instance, the scent of cinnamon increases brain function, thus making this speed go faster. The faster your brain processes information, the slower things seems, and vice versa. So if you're tired, your brain is processing everything much slower, making it seem faster.

I think when I'm really excited/on edge, music plays much slower than usual, and when I'm really groggy and exhausted, it tends to go really fast. Nothing to do with drugs.

Kind of necro-ing a thread, but it's nice to see that there are other people that feel this way.

I used to work nights, and while listening to songs I knew and love... they were always playing faster it seems and I think it's because the brain is tired and has a bit of lagg processing what it hears. That is how I've always viewed it.

It does seem to make sense when you look at it that way.

I recall; One night while listening to "In Bloom" At about 11 PM and in hindsight, I think I felt as if it was going faster than I was able to catch up to.

I agree
One night I fell asleep with music in headphones, and when I woke up at like 5 AM and one song from Danny Cocke (From The Fear It Grew, you can look it up on Youtube since I can't post links yet) was actually playing. It sure sounded like it's faster than I am used to. The same day when I woke up, I tried to listen to different versions from Youtube of it (I have more versions too), I wanted to know if any of them is that "faster" version, but I've found nothing similar. Then I found this thread (and this site) and now I know what caused it.