Research has long recognized the health benefits of making music, from Harps for Hearts, to drumming but according to a Time news report, “Listening to Music Health Benefits,” listening has health benefits too. Listening to music seems to “selectively activate” neurochemical systems and brain structures associated with positive mood, emotion regulation, attention and memory in ways that promote beneficial changes, says Kim Innes, a professor of epidemiology at West Virginia University’s School of Public Health.
Innes coauthored a 2016 study that found music-listening could boost mood and well-being and improve stress-related measures in older adults suffering from cognitive decline. Her study compared the benefits of music to those of meditation—a practice in vogue for its mental-health perks. She found that both practices were linked to significant improvements in mood and sleep quality.
A new listening device is now being used to relieve symptoms of those suffering with memory disorders. My good friends, Claudia and Wayne, were featured on a news report about how “Music Therapy Device Helps Alzheimer’s Patients.” This wonderful device is called Memesto.
It does seem to make a difference what we listen to. “Silence can be better than random listening,” says Joanne Loewy, an associate professor and director of the Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. “Some of our data show that putting on any old music can actually induce a stressful response.”
This week, check your playlist, fire up Pandora, turn on the radio, or put on an LP if you are still into vinyl. Just choose something that lifts your mood and promotes your well-being. I think I may start with “Imagine” by John Lennon…
Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips
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Rev. Debra Basham
Voice or text: (269) 921-2217 Email: debra@scs-matters.com http://DebraBasham.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~ Mother Teresa |