We have written many times about the ways dancing helps health. But music itself is beneficial to the body!
Listening to music releases beneficial hormones into the brain. Dr. Sonali Shivaji Kagne at Sir HN Reliance Hospital said, “For instance, dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, is released, which can improve mood and reduce stress. Additionally, music can lower the stress hormone, which is beneficial for overall health.”
Music therapy can lower blood pressure, improve heart rate and emotional wellbeing. Music naturally releases endorphins that enhance mood and decrease pain. Because of that, music therapy may aid mental health issues and work as part of a pain management plan.
In the past, researchers have developed designer cells that released insulin when exposed to certain sound frequencies. Using music from the band Queen, the researchers were able to control blood sugar levels in mice with blood sugar concerns. The song “We Will Rock You” made their blood sugar responses the same as a healthy mouse. After Queen, the second-best music option was the soundtrack to The Avengers.
Their research was a step toward replacing injections. The team is currently learning how long the implants can last in the body. Their original discoveries were announced in November 2023.
A long-term study has now found that playing an instrument helps older people maintain younger brains and hear people speaking more clearly in loud places. The brains of people who played music had more efficient connections and performed better than their peers their age who didn’t play. This suggests that learning music can lessen age-related cognitive decline.
Functional MRI scans showed that being a musician protected the auditory and motor brain networks. The study used 25 older musicians, 25 older non-musicians and 25 younger non-musicians. They were all asked to hear words masked by noises. Not only did the older musicians do as well as the younger people, but their brain scans also looked similar.
A different recent study found that practicing playing an instrument can boost brain health — even if you start learning later in life. We often hear health advice and think we have missed the boat. But this study taught people to play an instrument when they were older. The average age of the participants was 73. Four years later, the people who were still practicing had no sign of cognitive decline, while people who had quit performed less well on memory tests and the area of the brain responsible for motor function, learning and memory had shrunk in volume. That shows it’s never too late to pick up a new skill and boost your health!
