Crank Up the Volume! Enjoy the Health Benefits of Music
I love to crank up music in my car and sing along. I recently realized after pumping the music that my mood improved and I felt less stress. With my children, I noticed how singing and dancing enhanced their mood and helped them release energy. I wanted to research the effect of music on mental health and found out it is even more powerful than I thought.Author Scott Christ of USAToday College revealed there are significant health benefits of music on both one’s physical and mental states. Here are a just a few ways that jamming out or turning on quiet background music can enhance your mental health:1. Relieves Symptoms of Depression: Depending on the type of music, classical and meditative sounds have been proven to uplift people’s moods, moving them from feeling down to an elevated state.2. Improves Sleep Quality: Listening to classical music before bed has shown to effectively treat insomnia and is a cheap alternative to sleep-inducing medication.3. Motivates People: “Pump-up” music gets us running faster, enhances our endurance, and boosts our work-out motivation. I know when pump up music comes on it always gets me moving and pushes me further.4. Eases Health Issues: Music has been shown to have a therapeutic effect, easing symptoms of PMS, migraines, and even behavioral issues with children. It also has been shown to help cancer patients manage stress, ease physical pain, reduce anxiety, and improve their quality of life.5. Reduces Stress and Anxiety: Singing releases endorphins, those feel-good chemicals in the brain. It can become part of one’s daily life for effective stress management, as it can calm and relax the mind.So next time you are thinking about turning up the volume, don't fight the urge. Let the music move you and enjoy greater health at the same time.