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Music therapy is using listening to music, for larger goals such as improving health, potentially speeding recovery, and reducing stress levels. Music therapy has helped innumerable people all around the world and has been doing so at least for the past three centuries. With the times ever-evolving, the use of music in the fields of biology and medicine goes beyond music therapy. In hospitals and clinics, music plays in the background, to support the patients. It is an easy and affordable way of soothing them. It has various benefits such as developmental benefits in children's brains, putting patients at ease, relaxing those with rapid breathing, and improving their overall mood - essential for good mental and physical health. Research has been conducted to prove this.
Music plays a key role in reducing the occurrences and intensity of different stress responses. When music is heard, cortisol levels are known to have been reduced significantly. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone, which has an impact on many factors such as blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels are reduced as an effect of listening to music. These are conclusive results from the paper. Some other factors music has contributed to for many are reduced physical pain, and uplifted moods overall - these benefits are experienced by some, with varying responses in others.
However, with these results, other aspects must be taken into consideration. One of them is the volume the music was played at, the events that took place before and after, the genre and nature of the music, and perhaps a connection a person may personally have with a particular song. If someone has fond memories of a particular positive song, that would certainly induce happy hormones in the body which is good for metabolism, day-to-day living, better sleep, and overall wellbeing.
Conventionally, music that is considered biologically therapeutic is on the lines of slow, R&B, classical, or instrumental music. The nature of the musical plays a key role in bringing about health benefits. Any music that may be familiar to a person may be successful in inducing the biological responses. While more in-depth research needs to be conducted in this field to further investigate the short-term and long-term benefits, it is no secret that music does have many biological benefits.
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