Music to the Ears May Mean Better Health
By Tom Herrin
Helping people to improve health is a good cause. When people make their minds up to finally take that big step to make some changes in their health, they often feel as if it requires a lot of sacrifice and hard work. That is not true for everything, though, because some things can be much easier. One of those things is listening to music. In particular, listening to soft music. What may be even better yet may be listening to jazz. Several studies have proven the connection between health and listening to such music.
It May Help Those Recovering from Strokes
One of the more debilitating health problems people may have to deal with are strokes. They can rob people of much of their cognitive abilities as well as interfere with the performance of everyday routine tasks. Music has been used in some places to help to try to improve recovery. In studies, listening to music has been able to improve verbal memory, focus, and mood. In one study, those who listened had a 60 percent improvement in their verbal memory as opposed to 17 percent for those who did not listen.
It May Improve Blood Pressure
Listening to soft music apparently can help to expand blood vessels. In studies, listening to music and laughter helped to expand the blood vessels as much as 30 percent. After three months of participation, those in the study showed measurable improvement from both listening to music and laughter as opposed to no improvement for those who did not. The results were similar to those for people who took blood pressure medication, lost weight, or went on a low salt diet.
It May Reduce Stress
Most people probably think of people who listen to jazz as those who may also be wearing small beards and pursuing some creative interests. Anyone besides me remember beatniks? Jazz has shown considerable ability to reduce depression. It also has shown great progress in helping people to improve sleep. I enjoy listening. It seems to help me to focus on simply resting.
If you have have trouble with stress, give soft music a try. Listening for just under an hour at night before bedtime may help you to sleep well like you haven’t in years. If you are into habits, it is a good one to form.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Plano, Tex.