By Chiamaka
Aside listening to music for fun, leisure and recreational purposes did you know music has health benefits?
Yes, researches opine that music doesn’t just benefit our physical health but our mental health as well and in several ways. Music elevates our mood, reduces pain and anxiety and creates room for emotional expressions.
This means you can use music to improve your well-being or the well-being of a loved one.
According to Max Lerman, Hospice and Palliative Care Music Therapist from Spiritual Care and Music Therapy at NorthShore, below are some of the benefits music has on health and well-being:
- Music is heart healthy
Blood flows more easily when music is played. It can also reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, decrease cortisol (stress hormone) levels and increase serotonin and endorphin levels in the blood.
- It stimulates memories
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia but music therapy has been shown to relieve some of its symptoms. Music therapy can relax an agitated patient, improve the mood and open communication in patients.
- Music helps you eat less
Playing soft music in the background (and dimming the lights) during a meal can help you slow down while eating and ultimately consume less food in one sitting.
- Music elevates your mood
Music can boost the brain’s production of the hormone dopamine. This increased dopamine production helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. Music is processed directly by the amygdala, which is the part of the brain involved in mood and emotions.
- It’s a stress reducer
Research has found that listening to music can relieve stress by triggering biochemical stress reducers.
- It relieves symptoms of depression
When you’re feeling down in the dumps, music can help pick you up – much like exercise.
- It manages pain
By reducing stress levels and providing a strong competing stimulus to the pain signals that enter the brain, music therapy can assist in pain management.
- Enhances workout endurance
Listening to those top workout tracks can boost physical performance and increase endurance during a tough exercise session.
- Music eases pain
Music can meaningfully reduce the perceived intensity of pain, especially in geriatric care, intensive care or palliative medicine.
There you have it! More reasons you should listen to music.
