We often invest a lot of energy in trying to be healthier. Physical activity, mindfulness, and a balanced diet bring numerous benefits, all backed by years of research and widespread teachings.
But what about songs and sounds? Can they boost your overall health as much as meditation or sleep? It might sound surprising, but recent developments in neuroscience, especially in the field of “psychoacoustics,” reveal that music and sound have a much greater impact on us than we previously thought.
To truly understand how sound affects us, we need to dive into the science behind it. Research has shown us just how the human brain interacts with music, and this is something anyone interested in health can use in their daily lives.
Firstly, studies show that sound influences how we think, feel, and perceive the world around us. Think about remembering lyrics from a song you heard decades ago or how a particular sound can trigger an emotional response. With advancements in neuroscience, we can now study these effects in detail, focusing on five key brain regions, including the language center (temporal lobe) and the memory center (cerebrum).
Music most significantly affects the limbic system, which is our emotional core. According to Scientific American, specific songs and sounds prompt the brain to release dopamine, similar to how we react to exercise, favorite foods, drugs, or even sex. Given this, it’s clear why music can have a powerful impact on our daily activities.
One brain region influenced by music is the cerebellum, responsible for physical responses. When dopamine levels rise, endorphins are released, giving you that euphoric “I can conquer the world” feeling after a great workout.
A particular study found that music helps us run farther, bike longer, and swim faster. In essence, music during physical activity works like a legal performance-enhancing drug, according to psychologist Costas Karageorghis. Music has the greatest influence on self-paced exercise. An upbeat playlist can help set your pace for a half-marathon or solo gym sessions, timing your movements and giving you extra motivation for those last reps.
Music isn’t just a distraction from physical discomfort. There’s a tangible link between music and physical activity that can give your workouts a significant boost.
Music therapy is widely used to treat stress, anxiety, and various mental and physical health issues, from lowering blood pressure to evoking memories in Alzheimer’s patients. Music can also be a valuable tool in meditation and mindfulness practices. You don’t need to stick to “meditation music” or “relaxing music,” though the existence of these genres highlights how well music and meditation complement each other.
One growing practice is the use of binaural audio for meditation, leveraging the science of brainwaves and sound frequencies. Experts are developing unique meditation types because music brings numerous benefits, like stress relief, improved focus, and calmness.
Listening to relaxing music can also help you sleep better. A study involving about 100 college students showed that 45 minutes of classical music before bed improved sleep quality and reduced depressive symptoms. Similar experiments with larger groups have confirmed these findings. The Sleep Foundation found that older adults who listened to music before bed fell asleep faster, slept longer, woke up less often, and had more restful nights compared to when they didn’t listen to music.
These findings also show that the right music at the right time can provide combined benefits: lower blood pressure, better sleep, more restorative meditation, and enhanced workouts.
So, can music improve your overall health? Absolutely. Music touches every part of our lives, from enhancing commutes to creating bonds with old friends. Thanks to scientific research, we now understand why music is so powerful. More importantly, we know that music can significantly boost our health, making it an invaluable addition to our daily routines.