Ten Health Benefits Of Listening To Music You May Not Know

Listening
to music has been proven to be a trusted therapy with lots of benefits –
emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual and health-wise.
Mood
swings, depression, drug addiction, insomnia, suicidal thoughts etc,
can be reduced with the help of music therapy and it works like magic.


Just
like some unexplainable emotions run through your mind the moment your
favorite song comes on the radio, or a special song that reminds you of
someone or something, there is more to listening to music than our body
can interpret.

Music Therapy – Here are some benefits

A
couple of times you must have experienced some good feeling by just
listening to a song, and sometimes catch yourself tearing up by the
words of the song – that is just one of the things music can do to you,
there are more.

1. Music Relieves Stress

Music is powerful
and helps you work through your problems. There is this feeling of
inner peace that music, especially, Inspirational, Soul, Jazz, Rhythm
and Blues brings.
It helps you communicate with the softest part of your emotions and sometimes releases some hormones that may lead you to tears.
Do
not feel shy to cry at the sound of a song, it just shows you are a
human with a conscious. Crying represent feelings that must be expressed
and it helps relieves you at the end of the day. Crying is also a form
of stress relieve.

2.  Inspires Creativity

People who
listen to music while working are usually happier, more productive, less
distracted and do not feel the intensity of the work.
Finnish
researchers found that the mind-wandering mode goes into action when
your brain processes a song, thus inspiring creativity.


This
does not apply to artists alone. The relaxing effect of music can be
experienced by a blogger, banker, tailor, doctor or any professional who
has a need to concentrate and shut out the world from their work.
                      
It
will interest you to know that doctors have a specific playlist for
different types of surgery. Anthony Youn, M.D. cites a study published
in Surgical Endoscopy that says classical music affects surgeons more
positively than hard rock or heavy metal. It also helps the patient
relax and recover faster.

3. Reduces Blood Pressure

In
Africa, loud music [often called street music], is the dominating music
as most people just want to dance and party their sorrows away.
However, noisy music will only do more harm than good and may be responsible for the increasing tension among its lovers.
According
to the American Society of Hypertension, research shows that a simple
prescription of certain kinds of music might significantly reduce high
blood pressure.
If you are suffering from high blood pressure,
shelf your medications for a day and try this music therapy – listen to
classical, Celtic or slow reggae music 30 minutes a day to lower your
blood pressure.

4. Cures Insomnia

Music
Therapy is recommended for people who have difficulties sleeping.
Rather than take drugs or keep tossing in bed, it is advised to listen
to soothing music. It helps to calm the nerves, relieve anxiety and
elevate the worries that keep you awake.

                 

5. Music Reduces Pain

Whether
it’s Adele’s Hello, or Terry G’s Akpako, the lyrics and melodies of
every song can be an effective therapy for managing pain.
According
to a paper in the UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing, listening to
music can reduce chronic pain from a range of painful conditions,
including osteoarthritis, disc problems, menstrual pain and rheumatoid
arthritis, by up to 21%.
Music is a distraction that gives the
patient a sense of control. Music causes the body to release endorphins,
which counteract pain.

6. Affects Breathing

Music has the
power to speed up your heartbeats or slow down your breathing. A slow
tempo song has a relaxing effect slowing your heart rate and breathing
while faster music with an upbeat tempo speeds up your heart rate and
respiration.
                             
You
can be in charge of your body, simply by choosing which songs you
listen to – slow music if your want to rest your body; fast music if you
want to spur yourself up.

7. Music is Used to Treat Addictions

Addiction
is a painful disease that affects the entire family and circle of
friends. Making the decision to enter rehab is the first step towards
recovery.
Music therapy can be of great value in treating
addiction – smoking, sex, drugs, alcohol, name it. It is certainly not
enough by itself to help someone recover from substance abuse, but it
can be a useful tool in the treatment process.


Sobriety
is an emotional roller coaster. Music (either playing it or listening
to it) may help people get rid of some of their destructive emotions.

8. Prevents Suicide

Depression
is one leading cause of suicide and listening to music can go a long
way in managing depression. By listening to meaningful music, a suicidal
person might just deduce a new meaning to life through the message of
the song or just the good vibes/feeling that the song brings.

9. Treats Amnesia

Music
can jar up memory and bring back a name, face, experience or
feeling for someone struggling with memory loss, which is usually caused
by brain damage, disease, or psychological trauma.
                          
Some
songs put you in a time machine and set you back to painful times.
Hopefully, when you get there, you will remember the lessons you
learned, the people you met and how they made you feel.

10. Relieves Mental Illness

Listening
to music can improve the mental health of people with depression,
long-term mental disorder, withdrawal from reality and other cases of
mental illness.


Play
a nice song to a mad man in rage and see his reaction; he will most
likely stop shouting for starters, after which he will start to
meditate/dance to the song, whether he understands what is being said or
not.
Now you know the power of music therapy. Listen to music more and find that inner peace and happiness you so deserve.