“Music can change the way you breathe, so it can help your brain calm down”, says Dr. Gail Gross a nationally recognized expert, author, and educator on relationships, family development, education and behavior. Dr. Gross along with others notes the importance of having a great musical selection and conscious listening.
Lets face it, for hundreds of years now we’ve heard it said that music has a type of therapy that’s used to restore balance and harmony between body mind and soul.
But just how much does it truly affect us?
Interestingly, studies have attempted to measure how much it does effect us and how much it benefit us.
- Music brings order and security to disabled and distressed children. It boosts coordination and communication, so automatically improves their quality of life.
- Most doctors today suggest to their patients before and after surgery to listen to their favorite music on headphones as it can reduce stress and anxiety during their stay at the hospital.
- Music reduces both the sensation and distress of both chronic pain and postoperative pain.
- Music relieves depression and increases self-esteem in elderly people.
- Music reduces burnout and improves moods among nursing students.
- Music therapy is based on the understanding that music, in all forms, can have dramatic effects on our physical, emotional, social and mental health. It significantly reduces emotional distress and boosts quality of life among adult and is used for most cancer patients.So when in doubt, just play it and watch what happens.
For relaxing your body and mind try quiet soft sounds as it slows down your pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure and stress hormones.
Classical music will also boost norepinephrine and dopamine.
- Try Beethoven: most of the music from the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies is arousing and will boost dopamine and norepinephrine
- Kabalevsky: “Gallop” from Opus 39, no. 18
- Mozart: Overture from “The Marriage of Figaro”; Menuetto from “A Little Night Music”; Serenade no. 13
- Mozart overture from the marriage of figaro k 492
Musicals are usually uplifting and inspiring so why not try one of these:
- Oscar Hammerstein: “The Sound of Music”, “Carousel”, “South Pacific”.
- Frank Loesser: “Guys and Dolls” and others
- Andrew Lloyd Webber: “Cats”, “Phantom of the Opera”, and others
- Stephen Sondheim: “A Little Night Music”.
- Marvin Hamlish: “A chorus Line”
- Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe: “My Fair Lady”, “Camelot”.
I mean, who wouldn’t feel better after listening to something like this: