Get a Sonic Health Boost

Do you find that some songs open your emotional floodgates, while others gently tug at your heartstrings or send your mind skipping back to a special memory? Music can play a powerful role in our lives, offering more than mere entertainment. Over the years, exciting research has shown that good melodies also make good medicine—dulling pain, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, lifting mood and easing insomnia. There are easy ways you can apply your love of music to improve your wellbeing.

In Pain? Try music plus guided imagery

Listening to music for an hour a day can ease your pain by 20 per cent, found researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in the US. It can even reduce the need for pain medication before and after surgery. Music seems to stimulate the release of pain-masking endorphins in the brain, says Cheryl Dileo, PhD, a music-therapy professor at Temple University in the US.

Sound Advice
Stage your own music–guided-imagery session at home: find a quiet place and a comfy chair in which to sit with your eyes closed and feet up, suggests Joke Bradt, PhD, assistant director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University. Although choosing your music is a matter of taste, tracks with characteristics similar to those of a lullaby are generally good for relaxation, says Short. So are flute music and melodic vocals. When you play your song, think of your favourite place or a calming image, such as a quiet stream or deserted beach, says Bradt. “Focus on your breathing and the sensations in your body,” she says. “Imagine each of your senses reacting to this favourite place or image—the smells, the sounds, the sights. When these thoughts wander, focus on the music.” Once the song stops, don’t jump up; sit and relax for another minute or two. Repeat this exercise daily for pain relief; after a while, you can build a repertoire of scenes set to songs to keep the experience fresh.

Sleepless? Find your sleep rhythm

Just as soft singing can soothe a baby into peaceful sleep, relaxing music can also help adults achieve a restful state, explains Short. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing found that gentle classical music was an effective intervention in reducing sleep problems. Listening to music for 45 minutes at bedtime over three weeks significantly improved the participants’ quality of sleep.

Sound Advice If you struggle to switch off from the day when you hit the pillow, switch on to music instead. Any music you associate with relaxing can act as sleep-inducing music therapy, explains Short. She suggests trying a few musical styles—such as classical, vocals, new age or world music—to find what works best for you. As for actually playing the music, “Develop a plan that can become part of your routine every night,” Short suggests. That is, pop on a CD, plug in your MP3 player or buy a CD player with a timer so the music turns off soon after you’ve fallen asleep.

Got the Blues? Listen to upbeat songs while you walk

Listening to music can ease depression symptoms by as much as 25 per cent, found Cleveland Clinic senior nurse researcher Sandra Siedlecki, PhD. The benefits are physical, too: focusing on new-age music reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, according to a recent French study, and research at the University of California revealed that listening to classical music lowered college students’ blood pressure. A Japanese study concluded that your favourite workout tunes can ward off fatigue during exercise (another proven
mood-lifter). This has convinced many experts that combining music with exercise is one of the best defences against depression.

Sound Advice When trying to lift your spirits choose up-tempo tunes. Listening undisturbed for just 10 to 20 minutes can significantly boost your mood, says Dileo. Interestingly, Short recommends that although you should head up-tempo, don’t go too far in the opposite direction to how you feel; gradually building up mood and tempo more effectively coaxes you into a long-term positive state, Short explains.
Energetic tunes can also fire up your workout. Aim for at least 30 minutes of cardio, such as brisk walking, running, or biking, five days a week—this amount can help reduce depression. And make sure your music and exercise rhythms are in sync!

Music Therapy Tips To Tune In To

• Learn an instrument It’s great for your brain, it lifts your mood, and it’s fun! Enjoy the process, because it takes time.

• Join a choir Getting together with a group of people to sing is a top tension reliever; socialising and raising your voice in tune form an uplifting cocktail.
• Sing to your kids and grandchildren Research shows this practice to be an important part of early development and attachment of a baby to his or her mother and other family members, explains registered music therapist Rosemary Faire.
• Join a drumming group A combination of percussion and discussion can relieve stress.

To find a practitioner near you, visit the Australian Music Therapy Association at austmta.org.au.