Music can often provide comfort, support, and foster a sense of connection. It can tell others what we want them to know without needing words, and it is usually far more powerful than just having a conversation. We often associate our good and bad memories with certain songs.
Scientific studies have shown that listening to music can help with mental issues like anxiety, stress, and depression and may even help combat chronic pain. Specific genres of music can also help put people in a meditative state and keep them mindful.
Listening to music releases endorphins and dopamine, the hormones responsible for pleasure and reward, which can also help speed up healing. Neurotransmitters that regulate our emotions, also known as serotonin, have also been shown to get activated when music is around us. Musical therapy research has gone one step further and suggests that it can trigger areas in our brain connected to memory recall, meaning we can learn new skills and retain them quickly.
As evidenced, music is more than just pretty melodies that we play for fun—it has an impact on our healing as well, which is why music therapy is such an important modality for people to use.
Music Therapy Benefits
There are a few ways music can be used to help. Firstly, it can be used along with rhythmic breathing techniques to reduce pain. Breathwork and taking slow, deep, timed breaths can relax a person physically and mentally. This leads to a decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety, which means pain can be managed more easily.
Relaxation of the mind may also help people cope with stress, loss, and grief. A calm mind can then come up with better coping strategies to deal with life. A study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience discovered that music treatments raise the production of endorphins. Lowering blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen use, and plasma lactate levels are some of the ways that endorphins help relieve pain.
Music Can Help Emotionally
If everything feels too overwhelming to communicate, music can be an outlet for us to release our anger or sorrow without having to say anything to anyone. People suffering from PTSD or those who are grieving can find particular comfort in playing songs that evoke feelings of happiness and memories of easier times. Listening to these songs regularly, combined with physical activity and medication as needed, can improve sleep quality and even increase the functioning of the immune system, which is always at risk when our bodies are stressed.
When it comes to mental illnesses like depression or anxiety, it is often difficult to express how someone is feeling or what they are going through to a stranger, such as a therapist. Music therapy gets patients to engage in songwriting or instrument playing, which may make it easier for them to express their emotions. Exploring their feelings through a medium other than direct dialogue also takes away any associated stigma or negativity that may make them feel judged or exposed.
Relax Your Mind With Music
At times, you’ve just had a long day and you want some peace and tranquility, or something to calm the mind and relax. With the right choice of music, you will be in your state of Zen in no time. The soothing voice and melodic tunes can easily put you in a state of calmness.
Listening to music can be your go to hobby in case you need to relax. Similar to how people can’t wait to jump on their console or PC to kick it back a little with some gaming. While some might fancy video games, other people enjoy playing casino games, especially with the potential to win some money out of it.
There’s no better casino game that lets you relax effortlessly like slots. That’s because they are fun and simple to play. The best online slots games come with a creative theme and fitting soundtrack that will have you immersed in the game. If you are a music fan, you’ll love the background sounds that play in the game.
Indeed, there’s something special about finding the right music. Whether it’s to relax your mind, or convey an emotion, you can always count on the right track.