Something as simple as listening to an hour of music a day can reduce the physical and psychological affects of chronic pain, according to a recently published study.
In addition to potentially reducing pain by up to 21 percent and depression by 25 percent, this therapy can help patients feel like they are in control of their pain and that they are less disabled.
This applies to all music, not just that specifically for relaxation. It makes sense. Listening to harp music an hour a day would make my hair stand on end, but I can never get enough Dave Matthews.
In fact, my Dave Matthews obsession is so strong that I almost never listen to anything else. I’m more than a bit embarrassed by this and have tried to become obsessed with other artists (which doesn’t work too well). What it comes down to is that his voice makes me smile. And what’s better than music that makes you happy?
So now I have a medical reason to listen to indulge for at least an hour a day (not like I needed one). I’m going to chart my pain levels for a while and see if there is a correlation. Let me know what you find if you try this with your favorite musicians.
This is interesting – I have a 45 minute car commute, and I recently discovered that I can sometimes make a migraine go away just by listening to music and singing along. For me, I think it is partially the fact that singing requires controlled breathing, which is a form of relaxation. I’m listening to Christian worship music with a rock edge (not hymns or praise choruses). However, I think it might work with any type of music that I can sing along with.
I know that for me, anytime I feel bad or have a migraine, Evanescence does me good. They’re my Dave Matthews I guess. I think I stumbled upon this medical fact by accident.
LOL on the harp music. One of my favorite Christmas CDs is all harp music 😉
I have pretty eclectic tastes, my MP3 player is evidence of that. It makes sense that music could be a coping tool–I know it makes a huge difference in being able to work out at the gym.
Right now, my favorite song is an obvious one–“Bad Day” by Daniel Powter 😉