Music is a part of our everyday life. Many people listen to music while working, cleaning, exercising, and driving. Listening to music often changes your mood. If your feel down, listening to music can help lift your mood. There have been studies done that show that music can be used in combination with psychological therapies to help lower stress levels, blood pressure, anxiety and depression. It can also help with pain and fatigue.
Helping with coronary
heart disease
Studies have shown that listening to music can ease
anxiety in a person who has coronary heart disease especially if they have a myocardial
infarction. The anxiety reducing effects of the music increase when you are
listening to music you chose yourself rather than someone else’s choice. Music
can also have a positive effect when it comes to systolic blood pressure, heart
rate, respiratory rate, quality of sleep and the levels of pain a person with
coronary heart disease feels.
Music and Therapy
Studies have shown that studies done by trained
music therapists offered by medical staff to clients purposely pre-recorded may
be beneficial when it comes to helping you with anxiety, pain relief, fatigue,
and perhaps even to increase the quality of life of cancer sufferers. However,
the studies showed that this kind of music therapy only providing short-term
effects for people with depression, but if it was combined with traditional
treatment it actually enhanced the effects of that treatment. Music was able to
decrease anxiety and improve the functioning of people who were feeling
depressed. In children and adolescents, music may be effective in reducing the
severity of internalising symptoms.
Impacting brain
In a study using MRI's music was found to have
an impact on brain connectivity, particularly in the part of the brain that is
involved in internally focused thought, empathy and self-awareness. When you
are listening to music you dislike the brain circuit known as the default mode connects
poorly however the more you like the music the greater the connectivity. Music
will help you to reduce your stress levels, lower your heart rate and blood
pressure, and reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Relaxing music can
enhance your meditation and relaxation techniques and assist with your anti-anxiety
supplements or medication as well as assist your body with inflammation as the
positive psychological affect reflects physically into the body.
If you find that you are feeling down and need a mood booster try listening to some of your favourites which will lift your spirits. If however this does not help have a word to your health care practitioner who will give you some tips to relax more and overcome those negative feelings. A good natural practitioner can teach you to meditate, relax and alter your perspective. There are many techniques to do this. Call our clinic to see how we can help you today.
Image thanks to Samantha Hurley - Burst
