The Joy of Music and Reduction of Stress

Maintain a Healthy Heart

"Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman." Ludwig van Beethoven

"Without music, life would be a mistake. Friedrich Nietzsche."

"When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest of times, and to the latest." Henry David Thoreau.

"Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast. To soften rocks or bend the knotted oak." William Congreve (1670-1629)

According to Dr. Michael Miller, Director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, music can make you feel good. Therefore, possibly preventing a heart attack.

Earlier studies show that music affects heart rate and blood pressure. 

Research with a selected group of healthy participants demonstrated the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. Subjects chose a joyful type of music that made them feel good and the second type of music that made them anxious. Using a blood pressure cuff, the researchers discovered that the people who listened to joyful music increased blood flow of the brachial artery, a very healthy response. However, the artery flow decreased when the subjects listened to anxiety-producing music.

What is very significant is that the increased artery flow is equal to what people experience after aerobic exercise.

So, what this means is that you the heart to remain healthy, it is essential to do such things as: 

a) be careful about what you eat, 

b) maintain a healthy weight, 

c) exercise regularly 

d) listen to music that you find joyful and is not anxiety-producing. 

Stress is a killer. Stress pumps lots of adrenaline into our system, releasing much bad stuff that clogs our arteries. However, the activities discussed above reduce and even reverse the impact of stress. Music and exercise help release endorphins that create a wonderful and relaxed feeling.