If you’re looking for a quick-fix that will ease anxiety, boost immunity and even shed excess weight, you may be surprised to learn that there’s one thing that can do it all in just 15 minutes a day — music! It’s been shown to decrease blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate all via its ability to reduce cortisol and raise our natural pain-fighting compounds known as endorphins. For more info, here are just a handful of music’s many proven benefits.
Music can keep your workouts consistent
Music doesn’t only make your workouts more bearable or enjoyable — a study from Fairleigh Dickinson University found that listening to music while exercising boosts weight loss results. Researchers found that even after six months the music-listening group adhered more closely to the walking program (98 percent adherent) than the non-music group (only 68 percent adherent). Moreover, participants in the music group lost an average of 16 pounds and 4 percent of their body fat, while their tune-free counterparts lost only half of that. Visit GoodmenProject to learn more about the latest supplements like leptitox.
Music helps support blood vessel function
Music has shown numerous benefits for heart health in patients with heart disease or those battling high blood pressure and related risk factors. Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that the emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on blood vessel function. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when study volunteers listened to music they perceived as stressful, their blood vessels narrowed, producing a potentially unhealthy response that reduces blood flow. This is certainly good news if you have a liking for pop music!
Use music to boost your immunity
A Michigan State University team showed that even 15 minutes of exposure to music increases interleukin-1 levels — a compound that heightens our immunity.
Meanwhile, scientists in Florida found that patients who listened to 20 minutes a day of classical music had a 50 percent (or more) reduction in osteoarthritic pain in just 14 days.
Classical music rhythms mimic the average resting heart — approximately 70 beats per minute — and this soothing sound actually helps slow fast-beating hearts.