Music has a long history of therapeutic use -- from playing a traditional role in healing rituals around the world to its recent use as an integrative Alzheimer's disease treatment. Find out how music to your ears can add on years.
Music as therapy
To date, there is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, depression, and sleeplessness. In Alzheimer's patients, music therapy was shown to significantly reduce anxiety and aggression. While there are no claims that music therapy can directly cure diseases like cancer, medical professionals do believe that music can reduce certain symptoms, help with healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient's overall quality of life. Music therapy is often used in combination with meditation and visualizations.
Live longer with soothing tunes
In the past few decades, research has found that slow, soothing music is generally beneficial to one's health, whereas fast, jarring music is not. Listening to calming music enhances cognitive functions such as memory, concentration, and reasoning skills; even better, it boosts the immune system, lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscle tension, regulates stress hormones, elevates mood, and increases endurance.
Classical music and meditation music were found to have the most benefit on health. On the other hand, irritating sound can cause stress, with all its negative consequences for your health.
Play music to boost your brain
When you learn new things, you give your brain a workout; why not learn a new instrument? Studies have found that students who take music lessons have increased IQ levels, even showing improvement in non musical abilities.
You can also use music to soothe yourself to sleep. Our bodies run on biological rhythms and function best with consistent routines; sleep is no exception, and forming healthy rituals before bedtime can help you fall asleep and sleep more soundly. Playing tranquil music an hour before sleep is just one way to induce an automatic sleep response
I hope this article inspires you to get healing benefits from music! I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me.
May you live long, live strong, and live happy!
