Music has been proven to have a powerful effect on our physical and mental health. From reducing anxiety and pain to improving sleep quality and mental alertness, music can be used as a form of therapy for everyone. Research has shown that blood flows more easily when music is played, and recent studies have revealed that listening to music can improve our mental well-being and physical health in surprising and amazing ways. Even taking one or two music classes can help raise our IQ and keep us sharp in old age.
Here are 15 incredible scientifically proven benefits of being hooked on music. One of the most common uses of music is to reduce anxiety before major surgeries. Globally, 234 million major surgeries are performed every year, so if you or someone you know is going to have surgery, be sure to bring some relaxing tunes to ease anxiety. It may work better than medication, and it will certainly have fewer adverse side effects. Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death in the United States. If you know someone who has had a stroke, bring their favorite songs as soon as possible.
Listening to them can significantly increase their recovery. A study by the University of York showed that after just one month of music classes (rhythm, pitch, melody and voice), 90% of children between 4 and 6 years old had a significant increase in verbal intelligence. Researcher Sylvain Moreno suggests that musical training had a “transference effect” that improved children's ability to understand words and explain their meaning. Other research found that adult women with musical training and children with musical training outperformed those without musical training on verbal memory tests. Research also shows that taking music classes predicts higher academic performance and IQ in young children.
In one study, 6-year-old children who took keyboard or singing lessons in small groups for 36 weeks had significantly greater increases in IQ and in the results of standardized educational tests than children who took theater classes or did not take theater classes. The group of singers did their best. Even at 84 years old, business mogul Warren Buffet stays alert by playing the ukulele. It's never too late to play an instrument that keeps you up to date with everything. Music has been shown to lower blood pressure, relax a patient who is sedated or in labor, and has a positive effect on the growth of premature babies. More than 30% of Americans suffer from insomnia, and a study showed that listening to classical or relaxing music an hour before bedtime significantly improves sleep quality compared to listening to an audiobook or doing nothing before going to sleep. Since we know that music can directly influence our hormones, it only makes sense to use a little Beethoven (or Dark Side of The Moon?) Before going to sleep when you need a good night's sleep. More than 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide, and 90% of them also suffer from insomnia.
Previous research also found that symptoms of depression only diminished in the group that listened to classical or relaxing music before bed. In addition to these 10 reasons, there are many more benefits such as lower pain thresholds, the relaxing nature it provides to patients before and after surgery, increased memory pathways for Alzheimer's patients, improved recovery time for patients who suffered a stroke, ability to keep your brain healthy in old age, to name a few. Music truly serves as therapy for everyone, whether as medicine in a hospital or as a distress on a rainy day. Now that you know the health benefits of music and how it can help your physical and mental state, you can use your favorite music whenever you need a boost.
