How Does Music Boost Heart Health?

Listening to music has an array of health benefits. This includes widespread effects on the brain and heart. For our brain, music helps cultivate a process referred to by psychologists as ‘entertainment’. This process facilitates the activation of neurons in our central nervous system.

When you hear a steady beat or rhythm, it simultaneously triggers the internal auditory system. It also automatically engages your motor system. Besides, the type of music you listen to may have a calming or energising effect on your heart.

According to several clinical studies, here are a few tangible ways in which you can realise the effect listening to music has on your heart health:

Normalises Heart Rate During Strenuous Exercise

Listening to music with a high tempo and a loud disposition helps people exercise longer even during periods of cardiac stress testing. It also assists fitness enthusiasts to maintain a steady heart rate during strenuous exercise routines.

Relaxes Our Arterial Walls

When listening to music with a steady beat or rhyme, the blood vessel functions greatly improve the blood flow through our arteries and veins. This is because our heart rate maintains a constant rate which allows a continuous systolic and diastolic motion and relaxes our arterial walls. This also leads to a well-balanced blood circulation process to and from our heart. Aids Recovery of Blood Pressure Levels It is common to observe a high pulse rate and elevated blood pressure levels after a period of continuous physical exertion. Listening to slow or soft music such as Western Classical can help bring your heart rate and blood pressure levels to the normal rate. It also brings back your heart to function as it functions during a period of relaxation.

Eases Anxiety in Heart Attack Survivors It is normal to undergo a period of post-traumatic stress disorder or panic disorder after surviving a life-threatening event or a heart attack. Such patients exhibit symptoms of mental health distress which can be effectively controlled through music-based therapy routines. Listening to a common song every day sends an auditory controlled message to your brain and heart that ensures your heart has a known tone to relate to.

Reduces Chest Pains in Heart Patients Patients diagnosed with post-infarction angina suffer from chest pains after intensive heart surgery. Many doctors use music therapy to treat such patients. Listening to calming music for around 30 minutes a day relieves stress and lowers anxiety levels. Studies reveal that, on average, anxiety levels were one-third lower than those of traditional treatment regimes. They also reported lower angina levels by around one-quarter and normal ECG results.

Less Risk of Various Heart Ailments

Listening to music decreases the risk of developing many forms of cardiac ailments in patients recovering from cardiothoracic surgery. Patients under many forms of cardiac distress show significantly lower signs of developing severe heart disease in the future. Studies reveal that there is an 18% lower rate of heart failure, a 23% lower rate of a heart attack relapse, a 20% lower rate of needing the invasive coronary artery bypass graft surgery and a 16% lower rate of cardiac death.

Conclusion

This method of recovery works for almost all types of movement including muscular recovery of the limbs, chest and neck. This is an effective process since every portion connected by our neurons activates and fires synapses at the same time.

For instance, when people undergo a period of stroke, they may not be able to move certain parts of their muscles, especially around the mouth or lips. This is known as dysarthria and leads to unclear or slurred speech. During such distress, asking them ‘sing’ a familiar song using simple unitary syllables such as ‘la’ and ‘fa’ instead of the complex words can help entrain their motor nerves and bring back their heart rhythm to normal levels. This helps in the recovery of their speech. Along with listening to your favourite song, prevent abnormal ECG results with AliveCor’s latest KardiaMobile 6L. Ensure a normal heart ECG report every day by staying updated on your heart health, especially in times of elevated stress and hypertension.