Source: iHeartIntelligence.com
In addition to bringing bring joy and inspiration to your life, music is a great source of health as well:
1. Contributes to healthy sleep. Classical music has been found to help with insomnia — definitely a healthier and much cheaper fix than taking pills.
2. Fights stress. It is no surprise that listening to music helps relieve stress off your shoulders. Studies have found that music stimulates biochemical stress reducers which helps us feel more relaxed.
3. Helps us get in touch with our emotions, a 2013 study suggests. The participants marked “self-awareness” as one of the most important advantages of music.
4. Decreases the intensity of pain by activating sensory pathways that fight pain pathways and takes a person’s attention away from the pain.
5. Fights anxiety. When we are feeling anxious, listening to music can help us fight it as it has the same effect on the brain as a massage has on the body.
6. Improves workouts. College students who rode stationary bicycles were able to work harder while they were listening to fast music compared to those who weren’t listening to any music. Music even helps you recover from a hard workout faster.
7. Contributes to healthier functions of blood vessels. Science has proven that the listening to music that makes them feel happier boosts the blood flow in your blood vessels.
8. Helps with stroke recovery. A Finnish study found that if stroke patients listened to music for 2 hours a day, they recover faster. Not only do their moods improve, but also their verbal abilities and attention span, too.
9. Helps enjoy the eating process: Rather than eating quickly which leaves them feeling hungry and dissatisfied with the meal.
10. Improves cognitive functions. Playing background music while working on tasks that need your mental focus can boost your performance. A research has found that music can boost one’s cognitive abilities, but only if it has the same effect on the emotional state.
11. Eases patients going through surgery. A research discovered that when patients are played music just before a cardiovascular surgery, they start feeling less worried. Moreover, music reduces the stress after the surgery if it is played while the patients are resting in their beds.