What is the power of music on the brain?

If you want to do something good for the brain, turn on the music player and sing along to some tunes. Better yet, sing and dance at the same time.

It sounds like a simple exercise, but it’s actually quite a workout for the brain. That’s because music stimulates many areas of the brain, such as those responsible for memory, movement and mood. Music even stimulates activity in several brain areas at the same time.

“Nothing activates the brain like music”

All that brain activation produces important health benefits. Researchers have found that music can improve sleep and memory, as well as relieve stress and stimulate thinking skills, all of which help us maintain brain health over the years.

Music helps maintain your brain health

When music reaches the ears, sound waves are converted into nerve impulses that travel to various areas of the brain, including those that release dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in regulating pleasure.

In other words, listening to music makes you feel better, when it comes to its mood-boosting benefits, no one type of music is better than another. It all depends on personal preference.

“Music makes everything we know about brain enhancement easier. It makes medicine taste better”.

It has been proved that a higher percentage of people who listen to music rate aspects of their quality of life and happiness as excellent or very good. They also report lower average levels of anxiety and depression.

What’s more, music promotes social interactions, another benefit to the brain. When adults sing or perform together, they feel less loneliness and have a better quality of life compared to adults who do not create music with others. In addition, according to previous studies, both social bonding and improved mental well-being are associated with a lower risk of cognitive decline and better brain health.

8 health benefits of listening to music

Who hasn’t heard that music is the medicine of the soul? It has been proven that music can have an important benefit for our state of mind, and nowadays, scientific studies have contributed to this theory. So, if you are one of those who can’t live without your favourite playlist, check out this note that will surely encourage you to keep listening to your favourite song.

Music is an increasingly popular complement in hospitals, as it helps reduce pain and favours the production of endorphins.

Music ignites our emotions through a variety of memories. Listening to music is one of the few activities that involve the use of the whole brain. It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits when listened to. Discover the health benefits of listening to music below.

Effective for pain

Some of the benefits of listening to music are that it can reduce chronic pain from a variety of painful conditions, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, by up to 21% and depression by up to 25%, according to studies.

Music therapy is increasingly used in hospitals to reduce the need for medication during childbirth, reduce post-operative pain and complement the use of anaesthesia during surgery. This is because music serves as a distractor, gives a sense of control and causes the body to release endorphins to counteract pain. In addition, slow music helps to slow breathing and heart rate, preventing feelings of distress.

Lowers blood pressure

By listening to relaxing music in the morning and evening, people with high blood pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure and keep it down. According to research by the American Society of Hypertension in New Orleans, listening to as little as 30 minutes of classical, Celtic or raga music every day can significantly reduce high blood pressure.

Speeds recovery after a stroke

A daily dose of one of your favourite pop, classical or jazz tunes can speed recovery from debilitating haemorrhages or paralysis. According to the latest research, when stroke patients listen to music for a couple of hours each day, verbal memory and attention span improve significantly.

Chronic headaches and migraine

Another benefit of listening to music is that it can help migraine sufferers! It also helps to combat chronic headaches and reduce the intensity, frequency and duration of headaches.

Boosts your immunity

Scientists explain that music can create a deep, positive emotional experience, which leads to the secretion of immune-boosting hormones. This contributes to a reduction in the factors responsible for illness. Listening to music or singing can also lower levels of cortisol, the stress-related hormone. Higher levels of cortisol can lead to a decrease in immune response.

Increases memory, learning and iq performance

Studies have confirmed that listening to music or playing an instrument can actually make you learn better. Mozart and baroque music activate both the left and right brain. Simultaneous left and right brain action maximises learning and information retention. The information being studied activates the left hemisphere, while the music activates the right hemisphere of the brain. In addition, activities that engage both sides of the brain at the same time, such as playing an instrument and singing, make the brain better able to process information.

Improves concentration and attention

Relaxing music improves the duration and intensity of concentration at all ages and skill levels.

Improves body movement and coordination

Music reduces muscle tension and body movement and improves coordination. It also plays an important role in the development, maintenance and restoration of physical function in the rehabilitation of people with movement disorders.

8 ways to activate the power of music

1. Play music in your life and share it with friends and family. Music can improve well-being and even quality of life.

2. Dance, sing or move to music for exercise, stress relief, social bonding and brain stimulation.

3. Listen to familiar music that comforts you and evokes positive memories and connections.

4. Also try listening to unfamiliar music. Unfamiliar tunes can stimulate the brain.

5. Listen to music to motivate you to exercise. Music can provide mental stimulation and help to get you moving.

6. Get your hearing tested. Correcting hearing loss is important for maintaining brain health, preserving cognitive function and enjoying music.

7. Sing or play an instrument to create music for yourself.

8. Participate in musical activities with others. Try forming a community choir, band or orchestra, or join a group that is already formed.

In addition to lifting mood, music promotes movement, which is another key component of brain health. Recent research reveals that one of the best ways to protect brain health as the years go by is to adopt a lifestyle of healthier habits that include frequent physical activity. And music can be a pleasurable way to get exercise. Music can make it seem easier to exercise and help speed recovery after intense exercise, the report’s authors explain.

Therapeutic powers of Music

Experts are harnessing the power of music to help adults recover from illnesses and brain injuries and alleviate the symptoms they cause.

One example can be seen in post-stroke rehabilitation. Many adults who suffer a stroke lose the faculty of speech. However, they can often still sing, and music therapists can help stroke survivors regain their speech through singing. Similarly, many adults with Parkinson’s disease struggle to walk, but music and dance can strengthen movement and improve walking.

The unique aspect of music and dance is that its rhythmic structure provides an external beat or pulse that can help the brain restore movement that has deteriorated.

With older adults with dementia, caregivers and therapists use music to evoke memories. For example, a song from childhood can help a patient remember people and places from that time in his or her life. Music can also be used to treat the agitation caused by dementia, which can manifest itself in aggression, wandering, restlessness and other inappropriate behaviours.

The best news is that it takes very little time, money and effort to realise the benefits that music brings to the brain. Among other things, the report recommends singing and dancing more, listening to new and familiar songs and making music with others.

Of course, playing an instrument is also good for the brain, because it requires the use of many cognitive skills, such as attention and memory. But not everyone can do it, and I don’t want anyone to feel bad about not learning to play the violin at 75. Instead, it’s about making a little place for music in your life in a more general way. Even just listening to music has its benefits.

Looking ahead

Studies exploring the effect of music on health and well-being have come a long way in recent years. Last September, the National Institutes of Health announced a $20 million investment to support research on the benefits of music for a wide range of health conditions. Still, experts say more work is needed to fully understand the potential preventive and therapeutic benefits of music for brain health.

More studies are still needed to determine whether music can reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, for example, and whether music can affect reasoning skills. We would also like to see research into how music can offer more direct relief for those with dementia and their carers.