Turn Up the Sound and Lower the Stress
By Sandy Schroeder
If I am having a bad day, the sound of guitars always makes things better. I relax as the music swirls about and refocuses my thoughts. You may achieve the same relief with your favorite music. Sometimes I think music reaches us at a deeper level than words. The sounds trigger memories and work quickly to put the mind at rest.
Researchers explain why music is so effective in helping us cope with life and heal. Here are some of the ways it can work, according to VeryWellMind.com.
Music may ease chronic pain - Researchers worked with fibromyalgia patients and found music boosted endorphins to lower pain, anxiety and depression. I watched a team of resident doctors use this process. They all played instruments and brought their music to a children’s cancer ward. The music worked beautifully to help the children forget their pain and enjoy life a little more.
Music may improve diets - Many studies show people who eat in restaurants with soft music and dim lighting tend to eat more slowly and consume less. The ones who ate in brightly lit noisy restaurants often ate faster and consumed more. This principle might work at home. If dieters prepared a healthy meal and sat down to eat with friends or family they might relax and eat less.
Music motivates people - Researchers found upbeat background music helped older adults focus on tasks that required concentration. Their memory improved and their speed picked up.
Music may prompt sleep - Make your bedroom a haven with soft lighting. Take a warm bath or have a simple snack and listen to your favorite classical or soft jazz music. Soon, just the sound of the music may make you sleepy.
Music can change moods - When everything seems to be going wrong and you feel a bad mood coming on, put on upbeat music and start working. Before you know it, you may be smiling and polishing of a bunch of tasks.
Music may keep you moving - Research shows music may reduce a person’s awareness of physical effort. When you have a lot of cleaning to do, or want to run on the treadmill, your favorite tunes may make it happen. Instead of groaning over the work or watching the clock, you may just power ahead.
Let music help you out whenever you need a little stress relief. Some of my friends use music to get a mental boost all day long. Think about your favorite music and then apply it where it will work best for you.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Flower Mound, Tex.