Is Listening to Music Good For Your Health?

Whether it is listening to Mozart in your car, dancing to tango, singing in a church choir, or  guitar lessons, most of us enjoy some forms of music. There is no doubted that listening to a favorite song can immediately put us in a good mood. But in addition to entertainment purposes, researchers have discovered that music would do more than just lifting the spirits. Here, we’ll show you 6 proven benefits of music to your mental and physical health.

1. Improve workouts

Many studies have shown that listening to music during a workout might lead to better results in some ways. This is because music triggers the body to release endorphins, which are natural “feeling good” hormones”. As a result, it helps to improve our mood as well as motivate us to do exercises over a longer period. More importantly, listening to a good song also distracts us from any discomfort happening during the workout, thereby increasing the endurance and boosting the overall mood.

Which kind of music? The best kind of music for a workout should have high tempo and high energy such as dance or hip-hop music.

2. Prevent back pain

It is quite surprising that listening to music for approximately 30 minutes each day for at least 10 days can be a good way to have a better sleep and prevent back pain. As an essential part of emotional well-being, music might work on our autonomic nervous area, which is responsible for regulating brain function, heartbeat, and blood pressure, as well as the limbic system, which controls emotions and feelings.

When we hear a slow rhythm, our heartbeat and blood pressure slow down accordingly to help us breathe slowly. As a result, it reduces muscle pressure in the back, stomach, shoulders, and neck. In simpler words, we become angry, frustrated, and frightened when we feel pain, which causes many muscle groups in our back to tense up. By, listening to music regularly, our body can relax mentally and physically, thus relieving and preventing back pain.

Which kind of music? Slow and calm music is ideal for those people who sit all day long in front of a computer screen and ergonomic keyboard. By listening to some classical compositions by Beethoven or Mozart, they can reduce the risks of back pain.

3. Help with memory loss

For many patients who suffer from memory loss or post-traumatic amnesia, their spoken languages have become meaningless. In these cases, music is the ultimate solution to help them get in touch with the previous history mainly because the brain area that processes music is basically located next to the memory part. A recent research has shown that patients being exposed to taped or live music in 6 consecutive days show positive results in improving orientate and reducing anxiety, compared to those who did not listen to music.

Which kind of music? In the case of memory loss, people often respond best to their favorite types of music.

4. Alleviate depression

As said earlier, many experts have shown that music can slow down our heartbeat, thus helping to relax as well as stimulate the brain area that is responsible for sleep and emotional activities. Being soothed and alleviated in this way makes our mind to relax the muscles and lead to deeper and evener breath. In other words, music is useful for reducing the intensity of stress and anxiety.

Which kind of music? Classical music is the best choice to help with depression and anxiety.

5. Reduce stress and pain in childbirth

Expectant moms suffering from the pains of child labor might find music very cathartic. In general, a recent German study revealed that music is able to slow down the respiratory rates of women in labor, thus decreasing their stress response and relaxing the muscles to relieve pain. In some cases, music has even been found to shorten the labor duration. This form of expression is said to relieve pain inside the body and helps the muscles to relax.

Which kind of music? Experts suggest new age or classical music to help women overcome labor pain.

Ever since we were babies in the womb of our mothers, music has been always playing an essential role in our emotional and physical well-being. While it is one of the most popular pastimes for many people, music can also bring many health benefits that we hardly imagine such as preventing back pain, alleviating memory loss, boosting workouts or helping with depression. For these reasons, let’s sit on the couch and dance, relax, and sing along with your favorite songs.