{"id":44982,"date":"2024-07-11T13:32:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T11:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/16b0115d-7aa5-400a-a784-033bac74a786"},"modified":"2024-07-11T14:36:05","modified_gmt":"2024-07-11T12:36:05","slug":"reduced-stress-healthy-heart-and-five-other-surprising-benefits-that-music-will-give-you","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/reduced-stress-healthy-heart-and-five-other-surprising-benefits-that-music-will-give-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Reduced stress, healthy heart\u2026 and five other surprising benefits that music will give you"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 11:32 AM<\/p>

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Read on to discover music\u2019s impact on the body<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>

It\u2019s long been known that playing and listening to music can stimulate the brain<\/a><\/strong>, boost creativity and improve learning. Especially as we age, learning an instrument, singing in a choir or simply listening to a Mozart<\/a><\/strong> symphony can provide a thorough workout for the brain.<\/p>

This is why music is good for your mental health, according to scientists<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
Sound waves travel as electrical signals through the auditory nerve to the brain stem. The brain then deciphers those signals, connecting each note to the next. It effectively rebuilds different elements of the signals (such as pitch<\/a><\/strong> and rhythm) as the mathematical structures we recognise as music. That’s a lot of very complicated work!<\/p>
The Mozart Effect: does Mozart actually make you smarter?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
But according to Johns Hopkins Medicine<\/a><\/strong>, music can also \u2018reduce anxiety, blood pressure and pain, as well as improve sleep<\/a><\/strong> quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory<\/a><\/strong>.\u2019<\/p>
Music\u2019s impact on the body… Here are 7 ways<\/strong> that music can improve your physical health…<\/p>
How listening to music can help you trigger lucid dreaming<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
Music’s impact on the body… Improving the health of your heart<\/h2>
Research has shown that music helps the blood to flow more easily. It can also reduce heart rate, lower blood pressure, decrease the stress hormone cortisol and increase levels in the blood of the \u2018feel-good\u2019, calming hormones serotonin and endorphins.<\/p>
Music improves your mood<\/h2>
Music can boost the brain\u2019s production of the \u2018pleasure\u2019 hormone dopamine, which helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. This is because music is processed by the amygdala \u2013 the part of the brain involved in mood and emotions.\u00a0<\/p>
Why playing an instrument can boost your mood<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>
It\u2019s very similar to the way that aerobic exercise \u2013 like walking, biking and swimming \u2013 can boost mood and positivity through increased levels of serotonin in the body.<\/p>
<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Images<\/em> by Claude Debussy, performed by pianist Ivan Moravec – music for calm and contemplation<\/figcaption><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/science-of-music\/is-music-good-for-you\">Is music actually THAT good for us?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-music-reduces-stress\">Music reduces stress<\/h2>When we\u2019re feeling stressed there is a biological impact on the body. The adrenal glands start producing the hormone cortisol, which helps us find the focus and energy to deal with a challenging situation.\u00a0<\/p>In the long-term, the continual release of cortisol keeps us in a perpetual state of \u2018fight or flight\u2019. In turn this can lead to anxiety, depression and even physical pain.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/why-classical-music-can-make-you-cry\/\">Why classical music can make you cry, according to various theories<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>According to a 2021 study, quoted on <a href=\"https:\/\/psychcentral.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PsychCentral<\/a><\/strong>, listening to \u2018both personal and neutral selections of music… significantly \u201creduced cortisol levels\u201d. This was found regardless of the music type.\u2019<\/p>And like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/best-classical-music-meditation\">meditation<\/a><\/strong>, listening to music with a slower pulse can actively reduce the stress-induced heart rate, too. So <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-largo\">largo<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-andante\">andante<\/a><\/strong> slow movements of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-concerto\">concertos<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-symphony\">symphonies<\/a><\/strong> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-chamber-music\">chamber music<\/a><\/strong> could work wonders for your heart.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hildegard von bingen- O vis aeternitatis-\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9eFPJa95qQE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hildegard von Bingen’s O Vis Aeternitatis<\/em> – calming music for the mind and body<\/figcaption><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-music-s-impact-on-the-body-helping-to-manage-physical-pain\">Music’s impact on the body… Helping to manage physical pain<\/h2>By reducing stress levers such as cortisol levels and heart rate music can assist in pain management. It also does this by providing a strong opposing stimulus to the brain\u2019s pain signals. It can reduce the way the brain interprets pain intensity as well. For this reason, it is often used in geriatric and intensive care, or palliative medicine.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/mental-health-awareness-week-role-of-music-in-mental-health\">Mental health awareness week: the role of music in mental health<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>Research has also shown, for instance, that listening to music can reduce the pain in those suffering from fibromyalgia.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-music-can-help-you-to-eat-less\">Music can help you to eat less<\/h2>As incredible as it might sound, playing music during a meal can help you slow down while eating and ultimately consume less food in a single sitting. A <a href=\"https:\/\/news.cornell.edu\/stories\/2012\/08\/soft-music-lighting-cuts-calories-18-percent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cornell<\/a><\/strong> study found that people tend to eat less at a restaurant when the lighting and music is softer and more ambient.\u00a0In fact, this reduced calorie intake by 18%.<\/p>More so, research carried out by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lincoln.ac.uk\">University of Lincoln<\/a><\/strong> in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dmu.ac.uk\/home.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">De Montfort University<\/a><\/strong> found that music can help those suffering with emotional eating tendencies.\u00a0<\/p>\u2018Participants in the study were initially asked to recall sad memories. They then listened to pre-selected music, or were left in silence for three minutes, before taking part in a snack test. Those who ate in silence consumed over eight grams of snack foods whereas those listening to music ate significantly less \u2013 between four and five grams.\u2019<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/articles\/does-listening-sad-music-actually-make-you-happier\">Does listening to sad music actually make you happier?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-music-s-impact-on-the-body-helping-you-to-exercise-more\">Music’s impact on the body… Helping you to exercise more<\/h2>Listening to motivating, upbeat music can boost endurance and physical performance, helping you to nail that tough exercise session.<\/p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Scientific American<\/a><\/strong>, music creates a \u2018rhythm response\u2019 \u2013 or a tendency to synchronise your movements to the musical beat. This can help you maintain pace and use your energy more efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>It also provides a distraction from the feeling of exhausted muscles, elevating your mood and replacing negative thoughts with a \u2018can do\u2019 attitude.\u00a0<\/p>A study in the <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19325186\/\">Journal of Sports Exercise Psychology<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0found that music can increase endurance during a workout up to 15 percent.\u00a0<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-music-can-help-your-balance\">Music can help your balance<\/h2>A study reported in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.health.harvard.edu\">Harvard Health<\/a><\/strong> found that music helped people over the age of 65 who were at risk of falling, but otherwise free of neurological and orthopaedic issues.\u00a0<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/manchester-camerata-features-in-music-and-dementia-documentary\/\">Manchester Camerata features in music and dementia documentary<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>Half the 134 male and female participants were trained to walk and perform various physical movements in time to music, while the other half continued as normal. \u2018At the end of six months, the “dancers” exhibited better gait and balance than their peers \u2014 and they also experienced 54% fewer falls.\u2019\u00a0<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Published: Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 11:32 AM Read on to discover music\u2019s impact on the body\u2026 It\u2019s long been known that playing and listening to music can stimulate the brain, boost creativity and improve learning. 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Music improves your mood<\/h2>Music can boost the brain\u2019s production of the \u2018pleasure\u2019 hormone dopamine, which helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression. This is because music is processed by the amygdala \u2013 the part of the brain involved in mood and emotions.\u00a0<\/p>