A study has found that children who listened to music felt less pain during IV procedures than those that didn’t
The research from the University of Alberta adds to growing evidence of the pain-killing effects of music as some doctors even choose music therapy as an alternative to drugs.
It could make your workout feel easier and distract you from the pain when it’s getting tough. Dr Robert Herdegen of America’s Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked at the effects of 12 men riding a bicycle for ten minutes while listening to music on one day comparing it to the same men riding bicycles without music for ten minutes the following day.
On the days that the men exercised listening to music, they travelled 11 per cent further and their levels of exertion were at their lowest when listening to music. For hard workouts, the best type appears to be up tempo music that runs to around 150-160 beats per minute though specialists stress that the music you like is more likely to have the best therapeutic effect on you.
For soothing panic, classical music seems just the ticket. One study took panicky subjects and played them Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major three times. The result? Stress-induced anxiety, heart rate and blood pressure all significantly decreased.
Classical music in particular can quickly relax the nervous system, but rather than having it on the background, taking five minutes when you feel stressed, closing your eyes and immersing yourself in the sound appears to be most beneficial.
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