Classical, country, pop, hip-hop, gospel, jazz… no matter which genre of music you prefer, it can all be very beneficial for your health. Certainly everyone loves to listen to music, and for many people, music is a big part of your everyday life. Whether you like to jam out to music as you workout, listen to soothing music as you relax, or even listening to music as you watch your favorite movies, music is everywhere. As much as you listen to music, chances are you didn’t realize that it could affect your health, however, there are plenty of ways health and music can be connected. Check out these benefits below:
- Improves Your Visual and Verbal Skills
There are a number of studies about how music education early on can stimulate the mind of a child and improve various skills. Such studies have proven that children who take on interactive music lessons had higher verbal IQ as well as improved visual abilities.
- Improves Brain Health
There are also studies that prove that music can be beneficial for older adults as well. Music can help to improve the health of the brain as it ages. As listening to music can be compared to exercising the brain, it helps seniors in various ways. Music helps to improve mental sharpness and memory as the sound of music and its various melodies and rhythms can help individuals to recall certain events in their lifetime.
- Makes You Feel Happy
Music can really play on emotions. Hearing a song about a breakup can ultimately make you recall a bad breakup in your life. It drudges up feelings of sadness. However, listening to music that brings out good feelings can make you feel happy. When you listen to music that makes you feel good, it essentially releases a chemical known as dopamine often referred to as the feel good chemical.
- Great for the Heart
According to a report in Psychology Today, listening to music can be beneficial to the heart. Whatever your favorite genre of music might be, listening to it actual releases endorphins from the brain which essentially help to promote vascular health. There have been medical studies that have allowed patients recovering from cardiac surgery to listen to music. The music in turn helped to relieve feelings of anxiety and stress as well as pain. Some studies have even shown that listening to music can help to lower blood pressure.
- Better Quality of Sleep
Getting a good night’s rest is recommended for allowing the body to replenish itself through the night. However, many people report not being able to sleep through the night. Though there are varying causes, some of the most common reasons for inability to sleep are stress and anxiety. As described above, since music has a way of helping the brain to release dopamine and endorphins, it can ease the stress and anxiety felt allowing for a better night of sleep.
Incorporate Music in Your Life
Music can be very powerful. After seeing the various health benefits, you can see why it is used in various therapies and medical studies. Incorporating music into your life could essentially help to improve your quality of life. There are plenty of ways to do this including:
- Listening to music daily – Whether you’re cleaning the house or getting a workout in, turn on your favorite tunes and have a great time rocking out as you work.
- Take up a musical instrument – as described above, music education at varying ages can have a plethora of benefits. If you’re interested in developing better hand eye coordination, improving your visual and memory skills, and feeling a sense of accomplishment, playing a music instrument is ideal. It’s fairly easy to find instructors to teach you how to play instruments including the guitar, piano, or violin. By searching through online databases, you can find local listings for a piano teacher or other musical experts to teach personal classes.
Much like a therapeutic massage, music is thought to only provide pleasure and enjoyment; however, as described above, music has many health benefits. Individuals old and young can take advantage of the marvelous advantages music has as it pertains to health. So the next time you’re rocking out in your car, jamming to a tune at your desk, or even learning a musical instrument, remember that not only are you having a good time, but you’re also improving your health.