The wonders of Music!

Music! The zandu balm to our soul, it moves us, it stirs us. Simple notes can be so beautiful! How a few chords can be so powerful? It communicates a gush of emotions, energy and has the ability to reach the soul.

Did you know, Egyptians used music to lessen pain during child birth and the Greeks used instruments like the flute and lyre to cure illnesses such as gout and sciatica?

Today, music therapy is a well-established branch of healthcare. Here is a list of few things what the power of music can do for you:-

1. CHRONIC BACK PAIN

Music works on the autonomic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for controlling blood pressure, heartbeat and brain function) and also the limbic system (the part of the brain also responsible for controlling feelings and emotions). According to research, both these systems react sensitively to music.

When slow rhythms are played, our blood pressure and heartbeat slow down helping us to breathe more slowly, thus reducing muscle tension in our neck, shoulders, stomach and back.

When we feel pain, we become frightened, frustrated and angry which makes us tense up hundreds of muscles in our back. Listening to music on a regular basis helps our body to relax physically and mentally, thus helping to relieve back pain.

 Classical music such as Mozart or Beethoven is widely recommended to help relieve muscle pain.

2. IMPROVES YOUR WORKOUT

Why do we have loud music in our gyms? Experts say listening to music during exercise can give you a better workout in several ways. Scientists claim it can increase your endurance, boost up your mood and can distract you from any discomfort experienced during  workout!

3. Improves Concentration and reduces MEMORY LOSS

Having trouble concentrating? Research says that the silence between two notes triggers the brain cells and neurons, further enhancing the concentration capacity. The flute, sarod and santoor are wonderful instruments which have the ability to boost our power to focus.

For many people suffering from memory loss, who have difficulty remembering and speaking in a particular language, music can help! Remembering something in the form of a tune, rhyme or song can help. This happens because part of the brain which processes music is located right next to the memory.

4. Heart Problems

Based on what the researchers at the University of Maryland’s school of Medicine in Baltimore, music that causes you joy has a positive effect on blood vessel functions.

Music causes tissue in the inner lining of blood vessels to expand which in turn increases blood flow and conversely, listening to music that is perceived as stressful cause’s blood vessels to narrow, producing a potentially unhealthy response that reduces blood flow.

5. Psychological Impact:

Needless to say that music gives us a kind of joy that only a few things on earth can match up to. The physiological activity is mainly due to the activity of endorphins in the brain. The active listening to music evokes raw positive emotions due to the release of endorphins.

Soothing classical music helps alleviate a depressed state by increasing the neurotransmitter serotonin. Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major is a piece of music that can be used before an exam to help relax the mind.

So next time your head banging to Metallica or lost in Beethoven’s symphonies remember it’s not just your ears that are paying attention.