Dr. Mike Miller, a research cardiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, has been studying the effect of happiness (or things that make you happy) on the heart for years now.
In 2005 he and his team found that laughter could open up blood vessels so that blood circulates more freely all through the body. The next logical question was would music have a similar effect.
It turns out, music (and not just meditating music) is one of the best, most natural, easily accessible stress relievers out there. Either playing or active listening to music you find pleasing may in fact be incredibly good for your heart and your entire cardiovascular system.
Of course it’s also important to understand that everyone responds to types of music in a unique way – what may be joyful to one, may be utterly horrible to another.
Still, any music lover can tell you that a piece of favorite music can bring out an amazing range of emotions as you listen, physically relax you, even exhilarate (or bother) you.
And who can deny the impact music has when the chorus of a song (loved or hated) repeats through our heads even when we try our hardest to ignore it.
In this latest work, Dr. Miller asked ten healthy nonsmokers (70% men, average age 36) to participate in a four-phase study. Participants were instructed to fast overnight and told not to listen to the music they liked for a minimum of two weeks before the appointment.
The first phase of the study involved subjects listening to their favorite music – everything from rap and classic rock to jazz and showtunes.
The second phase called for subjects to listen to music that made them feel anxious.
In the third phase, subjects listened to audio tapes intended to promote relaxation, and in the forth phase they watched videos that made them laugh.
The phases were administered in random order and scheduled at least one week apart from the one before.
A baseline blood vessel dilation test was conducted at the beginning and at regular points during each session of each phase. All in all the study took about eight months to complete, and involved a total of 160 dilation measurements for each participant. The findings were worth the wait – showing that listening to music you truly enjoy can counter the effects of stress (vessels opened 26%); just as listening to music you dislike can increase your stress and narrow vessels by 6%.
Experts know that long-term stress can cause real problems for your body. Stress causes blood vessels stiffen and become rigid, and as we get older, arteriosclerosis adds to this as a natural condition of the body as it ages.
Blood pressure goes up when blood is pumped through tight, constricted blood vessels, and this increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. Today cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S.
Stress is also known to suppress the immune system, speed aging, contribute to infertility and maybe even re-wire the brain, leaving us more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.
Another study on the power of music out of Stanford University found that older patients diagnosed with depression saw an improvement in mood when visited by a music therapist.
There are hospitals all over the country that use music therapy as a way to help healing. The Mayo Clinic uses music as part of the heart surgery healing program. Relaxing in this way is thought to ease pain, lift mood and improve sleep.
But when it comes to music’s effect on the body, variety is key. “You just don’t get that boost if you listen to the same song over and over again,” Dr. Miller points out. “You need to vary your songs, so when you hear the song fresh, it brings back the sense of joy and opens up the system.”
