“One thing I love about music is that when it hits, there’s no pain.”
Ancient Greeks believed that music had the ability to heal both the body, and the soul. It was discovered that meditation can be used to calm the mind. A combination of two powers that can help individuals overcome their physical and mental problems, relaxation music or meditation is one example. While medical researchers and scientists have known about the benefits of music for various ailments since ancient times, they only began to explore the impact of music on human bodies in the 1940s.
For many years doctors have used music to help them. Relaxation music can be helpful in distracting patients from their pain and helping them to calm down when they are stressed. Research Center at Utah University confirmed that music can help patients to relax and lessen pain. David H. Bradshaw is a musician and university professor who found that music can help relieve headache pain. He also suggested the connection between practicing music through personal experiences and relieving pain.
Study of the Influence Music has on Pain
His curiosity piqued his interest and he joined with four other university physicians – from University of Utah’s anesthesiology section – to verify his theory. He used more 150 healthy volunteers. The subjects were divided into two different groups. Each group was subject to shocks or painful stimulations with varying intensities. The first group felt mild pain and was surrounded by music. The second group was presented with musical assignments that were of different difficulty. It was necessary to recognize the changing direction of a melody, or identify deviant notes. Miguel Chuaqui (head of the School of Music in the university) composed the harmonies.
Researchers found that shocks were able to cause electrical potentials in the subjects’ nerve systems, skin conductance, and pupil dilation. This data allowed the researchers to assess the pain that the subjects felt and measure their central and peripheral arousal. Bradshaw’s group discovered that as the task difficulty increased, there were alterations in stimulation arousal or net involvement. The researchers proved through the tests that subjects’ pain levels decreased when they stayed focused on the task at-hand and the music.
Relaxation Music – The Magic of Relaxation
Music activates the sense channels in our brains. They can trigger emotions and draw mental attention to combat pain channels. The harmonization of pain and music reduces our bodies’ reaction and increases tolerance. However, pain reduction can vary from one person to the next due to personal traits like their ability to focus and anxiety levels.
Relaxation Music Therapy to Support AIDS Patients and Cancer Patients
Music’s effect on pain has extended its usage into many areas of health care and well-being. Music therapy is growing in popularity and has emerged as a whole new field. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music can help with addressing a person’s physical, mental, and emotional needs. It is not enough to listen to music. You can also create, sing, and move to music. Music therapy is a great way to reduce pain, manage stress, improve communication, enhance memory, and increase your ability to remember.
In order to determine the effect of music in people with illnesses and personal issues, many studies have been completed. Drexel University researchers discovered music can raise the mood of people with AIDS or Alzheimer’s, and it can also improve the BP levels of cancer patients. Researchers from Sweden’s University of Gothenburg found that relaxation music could help subjects relax. Additionally, the music produced positive emotions at higher frequencies and greater intensity. Additionally, subjects who listened to relaxation music showed signs that they were less stressed and had lower cortisol levels (a stress hormone in humans).
The American Cancer Society’s Findings & Revelations
American Cancer Society (ACS), indicated that relaxation music can lower blood pressure and heart rate. It can also help with depression, anxiety, and sleeplessness. Music therapy can help patients with chemotherapy and antinausea drugs in high dosages to alleviate nausea and vomiting. Music therapy can also be used to reduce short-term pain for cancer patients.
The ACS reported that relaxation music was a powerful tool for improving the quality of hospice patients, such as those with cancer or AIDS. Music therapy has been shown to be a great way to help with pain control and relaxation. The use of relaxation music has been shown to relax the muscles and dilated the veins in some patients. It has also helped reduce the discomfort from invasive procedures.
Patients with Alzheimer’s disease: The impact of meditation music
To aid in everyday living, people with Alzheimer’s can benefit from relaxation music. Even in the last stages of Alzheimer’s, patients are still able to engage with rhythmic cues and enjoy musical activities. In the final stages, cognitive function that is required to process these cues is compromised. So unfamiliar relaxation music may be able to help patients relax and manage stress. Patients with Alzheimer’s can benefit from sedative, meditative music. It is possible to reduce agitation by using slower beats and no syncopation.
Relaxation music can calm the mind and put people in a peaceful state. The healing power of relaxation music goes far beyond what scientists can explain.