Benefits of Music for Health
Music has plenty of benefits on the body, mind, and general health. It exerts a powerful influence on human beings in all capacities. For many years music has been used to create a feeling of cohesion and togetherness among people.
Music therapy is used by hospice and palliative care therapists to enhance conventional treatment for a variety of diseases such as stress, depression, anxiety, management of pain, and neurological disorders. Here are the benefits of music for health:
Improves Mood
According to studies, it has been found that music can improve someone’s mood. It helps regulate emotions and creates relaxation throughout the day. Music has the power to help people change their moods by processing their feelings. Music rehabilitations tap into the processes of relief, enjoyment, and comfort.
The music you choose triggers something in your mental health. Participants who listened to happy songs succeeded in improving their mood compared to those who listened to sad songs. In a recent review, it was found that music therapy can be effective for the treatment of mood disorders related to neurological conditions such as dementia, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.
Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Soothing and relaxing music considered to have low tempo, no lyrics, and low pitch has been effective in reducing stress and anxiety in both healthy and people with different kinds of health conditions. Cancer patients who listened to music combined with standard care were reported to be less anxious and sleep better at night.
Listening to music can reduce stress by triggering the biochemical stress reducers in the brain. The body also releases cortisol which is the hormone that manages stress. Listening to music after a stressful day can help your nervous system to recover faster. Studies have shown that people in rehab recovering from stroke feel less anxious and relaxed when they listen to music.
Stimulates Memory
For patients with dementia, music therapy has proven to be successful. It has helped patients to remember episodes from their lives. In a study, people were given tasks that required them to read and memorize words.
Those who performed the task listening to music were able to recall the words compared to those who worked in silence. In a study on stroke survivors, music helped them experience more verbal memory, reduced confusion, and enhanced attention.
Relieves Pain
It is said that music heals the soul. It can be used to help manage strong pain by competing for stimulus to the pain signals that enter the brain. Music therapy has been widely used especially for patients in the intensive care unit it is said to reduce the perceived intensity of pain.
In studies done on patients recovering from surgeries, those who listened to music before, during, and after surgery had less pain compared to those who didn’t listen to music. In a meta-analysis, it was reported that music alone helps manage both acute and chronic pain than medication.…
