What are the health benefits of music?

Music can play an important role in the care of our loved ones, not only as recreation, but also as a therapeutic tool in stress management. Today I am going to talk about the kind of music (or genre) that can lead to a relaxation response.

Can Musci relax us?

Moving to fast-paced dance music encourages us to increase physical activity by causing the body to produce substances such as endorphins, commonly called happy hormones. Aerobic exercise allows us to feel more energetic and alert. But for the vast majority, fast-paced music does not relax us.

Music allows us to relax through a physical process whereby vibrations from different sources are tuned to a common rhythm. Our heart rate can, through music, achieve normal values (60 to 80 beats per minute) and a relaxation response that lowers blood pressure. We have the ability to use the vibration of sound to achieve:

• Slower pulse or heart rate
• Lower blood pressure
• Improved concentration
• Decreased muscle tension
• Better management of stress, depression and anxiety
• Better pain management

Which rhythms to avoid and which to choose?

Not all rhythms are suitable for relaxation because of the tempo, i.e. the speed at which a piece of music is played. As tempo determines the duration of each musical note, for relaxation it is ideal for music to have a tempo of 60-80 beats per minute (60-80 BPM), the same as your normal heart rate. Keep this in mind when you want to relax and avoid these genres of music:

• Rap: 90-110 BPM
• Hip Hop: 80-100 BPM
• Reggae: 90-120 BPM
• Cumbia: 90-110 BPM
• Reggaeton: 100-120 BPM
• Pop/rock/ Dance: 120-140 BPM
• Metal Rock/ Punk 140-190 BPM

So which music to choose? For me, the music of Wolfang Amadeus Mozart is a good choice as it has been recognised for more than 40 years as music that can balance our energy and create an exceptional harmony with the body and mind – known as the “Mozart effect”. Here is a sample of a composition that will help you to relax.

It can also be considered a composition by the British ambient music trio Marconi Union. Weightless lasts 8 minutes and is considered by many to be the most relaxing song in the world. The song is performed on guitar, piano and manipulated sounds at a constant tempo of 60 BPM; it has no repeated melodies, allowing the listener to not anticipate sounds, allowing the mind to rest.

Mozart, Marconi Union, or some of our Latin music? Classical music in general, slow instrumental, instrumental harp and genres such as slow waltz (not Viennese), ballad, pasaje, bolero and pasillo among others, may be of your preference for relaxation. Choose the music that you feel calms you down – even if you don’t know the exact tempo of the piece – and be prepared to use music as a tool for stress management:

• Select instrumental music (without lyrics) with a slow tempo and low tones.
• Create an environment for listening to your music
• Try to avoid interruptions
• Use headphones if necessary
• Try to listen to your music for a minimum of 15 minutes without interruptions.
• Try to listen for 20 to 45 minutes.
• While listening to the music leave your mind blank, just listen.

Health benefits of music

Do you know the health benefits of music? It is undeniable that we all love music. There is no culture that has not created its own styles and nowadays it is a huge business.

Music is present in all areas of our lives, it can change our mood, tell us a story or help us to carry on when we are depressed.

But how does it help our health?

1. Improving visual and verbal skills

Music can stimulate children’s brains and help improve their communication skills, specifically visual and verbal skills. It has been identified that children who participate in interactive music lessons:

• gain greater confidence
• their communication is much more efficient
• smile more
• their brains give more sophisticated responses than the average child their age.

For 4-6 year olds, music training that includes understanding rhythm, voice and basic musical concepts also helps them learn new words and understand them. Older children (ages 8-11) who take music lessons have been shown to have higher IQs than other children.

2. Decreases wear and tear on the brain

Whether you have music training or just listen to music, it will help maintain a healthy brain in adulthood and old age.

Listening to music is exercise for the mind and, as such, helps to keep it fit. Even people who already have some brain damage can partially or fully recover some learned memories and neurological processes with the help of sounds or very rhythmic music. It really boosts brain power.

3. You are happier

As we said before, music has the power to change our mood easily. It can make you feel happy, sad, excited, calm and so on.

When we listen to happy music, our brain initiates the production of dopamine. This neurohormone is responsible for making us feel emotions such as: happiness, excitement, fun, etc.

Therefore, listening to music can make us as happy as eating a piece of chocolate, having sex, taking certain drugs or falling in love. It has also been shown that when we listen to music at high speed, we become happy. Slower music, on the other hand, can make us feel nostalgic or sad.

4. It helps your heart

And what were the results? It has been shown that music can facilitate the recovery of patients suffering from heart problems.

Regardless of the type of music you like, listening to it triggers the production of endorphins in the brain, which improve vascular health. It has also been shown that patients who have undergone heart surgery can reduce their anxiety and pain levels through music.

Patients who listen to at least 30 minutes of music a day have stable blood pressure levels, normal heart palpitations and less stress than those who do not listen to music.

5. Improves sleep quality

Stress and anxiety are the biggest enemies of quality, restful sleep. But we can listen to music to change this situation. Studies such as the one published in 2009 by the journal Annals of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine confirm this.

It might be advisable, for example, to listen to calm and cheerful music about 30 minutes before going to sleep, although if you can implement it throughout your day, it will be better.

6. Benefits the immune system and reduces pain

Scientists have found that music is able to reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is responsible for weakening our immune system.

It should be remembered that this weakening makes us more prone to heart problems, learning disabilities, low bone density and increased blood pressure.

According to studies, listening to 50 minutes of energetic music increases our body’s production of antibodies.

If you don’t listen to much music, it might be a good time to start. Try listening to new genres of music and see how your body reacts. Take advantage of the health benefits of music!