Music and Your Health - Benefits and Harmful Effects

Have you ever noticed how dramatically music can affect your mood? If you are lacking in energy, turning up the volume to your favorite upbeat song, can give you a natural shot of adrenalin. Fast music can actually change your brainwaves, making you more attentive, alert, and observant. I remember when I was younger, my mom and I would play fast music while we tackled the housework. (It really did help.) Think of the way high school and college bands energize the crowd (and their teams) by playing loud, clashing tunes on brass instruments. And if you're feeling nervous or agitated, slow music can make you calm and relaxed, as it slows down your breathing and heart rate. It's a good way to lessen anxiety, and to promote a feeling of peacefulness. Music can boost creativity, and lift the spirit. Classical music has even been found to aid in digestion, and to reduce a certain stress hormone, known as cortisol. Music can also be a sleep aid, at the end of a stressful and long day, when our bodies are tense and exhausted.

The introduction of music therapy into the health field has been an exciting endeavor. Hospitals often use music therapy to calm patients, to control pain, to alleviate depression, and to relax muscles. Music therapy has also provided help to cancer patients, and children struggling with ADD. Music seems to be a natural drug, able to lower blood pressure and increase the immune response. Music therapy promotes healing after surgery, and is also helpful in relieving despondency in the elderly, who are shut-ins. Listening to music for just one hour a day, can help with chronic pain control, and can even help with the reduction of pain medications. Many women are using relaxing music therapy as an aid during labor and delivery.

According to Roger W. Wicke, Ph.D., Mozart's music reduced epileptic seizures by 65%, and was even effective for those who were comatose. Old pop tunes or silence had no such effect. And we've all heard about the plants that responded favorably to classical music, but wilted and died when exposed to rock selections such as Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. (Listen up headbangers.)

The same music that was found to be good for plants, was also found to be beneficial to humans. Stringed instruments in the frequencies from 5000 to 8000, were the most rapid in producing an alpha brainwave response. The cello, violin, and viola promoted relaxation and calmness.

Researchers exposed mice to silence, Strauss waltzes, and voodoo drumming, in order to gauge how this affected their ability to complete a maze, for a reward of food. The mice exposed to silence or the waltzes, were able to maneuver the maze quickly, with the waltz mice doing a little better. But the poor mice exposed to the voodoo drumming accomplished less and less, until finally they became so confused, that they could not continue with the maze. They then became very aggressive, and overly stimulated, to the point of becoming cannibalistic.

Music has a profound effect on personality. It has an ability to agitate or soothe. Remember how King Saul was comforted when David played his harp? (Perhaps this was the true invention of music therapy.) On the other hand, when law enforcement agents want to force a group of people from a building, they will often play loud, annoying music over and over, to aggravate and disturb.

Children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, listening to classical music on a regular basis, were able to focus more on assigned tasks. Many with ADHD also find that they are less restless and agitated, while enjoying soothing music therapy.

Premature babies flourish in an atmosphere where calming music is played. According to the Utah Bally Regional Medical Center, vocal lullaby tapes were played twice daily for 20 minutes, and the results were that the babies heart rates slowed, and they were able to take in more oxygen and formula. While instrumental music was certainly relaxing, nothing could beat a human voice (even if a little off key.) And according to Rosalie Pratt, a music professor at Brigham Young, a parent's voice has the most optimal effect.

Research has also shown that turning instructions into a rhythmic tune, can help youngsters respond more attentively. Many people have found that singing Bible verses is a great memory aid, and children learn more rapidly when the alphabet, colors, or other concepts are put to music.

And the benefits are not just for the young. Music therapy may help stroke victims to learn to speak again, as it stimulates the cerebellum. For those suffering from Alzheimer's, there are often positive changes in the brain chemistry, when the elderly are exposed to music. When group keyboard lessons were given to the elderly, the levels of human growth hormone increased. This is directly involved in such things as aging, pain, muscle mass, sexual behavior, and even levels of energy. Being involved in actually making music, helped markedly with anxiety, depression and loneliness.

It has been suggested that we are influenced by music so profoundly, because our bodies are rhythmic. Advertisers have long known the power of music to impact behavior. Music can make us shop longer, or encourage us to relax. Sales increase when retail stores pipe in easy listening music.

But along with the positive results, are also some negative ones. Music that we dislike can cause an increase in blood pressure and a feeling of stress. Parents are often irritated by the loud pulsating sounds that come from their teenager's room. But when a group of teens regularly gathered in front of a convenience store, the owner used classical music to chase them away. (So it works both ways.)

Religious music has been found to help people cope better with pain, while heavy metal and rap music has been shown to increase aggression, and over stimulate the nervous system. (Gulf War pilots often played heavy metal music before going into a war situation.) On the other side of the spectrum, musicians were hired to play in Veterans Administration hospitals, after World War II, to aid in the physical and mental healing of the soldiers.

As you can see, all the therapeutic and detrimental consequences of music are yet to be discovered, but music has been proven to have a profound effect on both mental and physical health.

Sources: http://stress.about.com/od/tensiontamers/a/music_therapy.htm

http://www.beautyden.com/healingmusic.shtml

http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2002-1.html

http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Activities/Healing-Tunes-The-Health-Benefits-of-Music

http://www.amc-music.com/seniors_social.htm

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0826/is_6_19/ai_111111453

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071125220042AAXtyLu