Music is one of the few activities that involve the whole brain.
It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits not
only for learning language, improving memory and focusing attention, but
also for physical coordination and development.
Of course, music
can be distracting if it's too loud or too jarring. But for the most
part, exposure to many kinds of music has beneficial effects:
1- Effective therapy for pain
Music
can be helpful to those suffering from physical pain; studies have
shown that people who listen to music that is soothing have requested
less pain medication after surgery and that relaxation music can also
help them manage chronic pain.
2- Reducing blood pressure
By
playing recordings of relaxing music every time, people with high blood
pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure - and keep
it low. According to research reported at the American Society of
Hypertension meeting in New Orleans, listening to just 30 minutes of
classical, Celtic, or raga music every day may significantly reduce high
blood pressure.
3- Medicine for the heart
Music
has been proved good for heart. Some experts even say that it can work
as a medicine for your heart. When you listen to your favourite music
for sufficient time it produces 'happy' hormones, which make you happy.
Music beats also helps in improving your heart rate and in breathing a
great deal.
4- Speeds Post-Stroke Recovery
Music
works on the autonomic nervous system - the part of the nervous system
responsible for controlling our blood pressure, heartbeat and brain
function - as also the limbic system - the part of the brain that
controls feelings and emotions. According to one piece of research, both
these systems react sensitively to music.
When slow rhythms are
played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down which helps us
breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our neck,
shoulders, stomach and back. Experts say that apart from physical
tension music also reduces psychological tension in our mind.
In
other words when we feel pain, we become frightened, frustrated and
angry which makes us tense up hundreds of muscles in our back. When you
listen to music on a regular basis it helps the body relax physically
and mentally, thus helping to relieve - and prevent - back pain.
5- Chronic headaches & migraine remedy
A
new study from Austria's General Hospital of Salzburg due to be
published in The Vienna Medical Weekly Journal could hold the key to
back pain. In the study, 65 patients aged between 21 and 68 with chronic
back pain after back surgery were divided into two groups.