As per the study done by researchers from Pavia University, Italy, loud music makes the heart beat faster and increases the blood pressure, whereas softer music lowers down the heart rate as well as the blood pressure.
Tempo of the music affects the heart
Study author Dr. Luciano Bernardi, a professor of internal medicine at Pavia, was quoted as saying that the findings “increase our understanding of how music could be used in rehabilitative medicine”.
Previous studies done by the same researchers from Pavia had shown that music with faster beats makes people breathe quicker than usual. Moreover, it augments the heart rate and blood pressure. On the other hand, slower tempos produce the reverse effects.
Even though the effects were not of a high degree, they were definitely evident.
Study details
The researchers played classical music, comprising an assortment of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, a Bach cantata, and arias from operas by Puccini and Verdi.
They gauged the consequences of music on the cardiovascular systems of 24 volunteers, all of whom were in their mid-20s. Half of these people were trained singers, who listened with the help of headphones.
The results obtained from electrocardiograms and skin monitors were then analyzed by the researchers. They found that a crescendo (loud music) produced a stimulating effect, while decrescendo (softer music) had relaxing effects.
Music therapy being put to use
Dr. Michael Miller, director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center, believes that the study findings are already being put to use by the doctors. Miller has himself done research to determine the effect of music on the cardiovascular system.
However, there are certain differences in the study conducted by the Italian researchers and the one done at Maryland.
Miller utilized a different kind of music, unlike the researchers at Pavia. He explained, “In our studies, volunteers selected music that made them feel good or feel bad.”
Miller added, “Our belief is that cardiovascular reactions to music are amplified by emotional responses. Our results were not inconsistent with these findings.”
“The take-home message from this paper is now being employed at many hospitals, including ours.” He further added, “In the cardiovascular unit, we play music that is very soothing and quiet. On a subconscious level, it produces a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate.”
Future of music therapy looks bright
Barry A. Franklin, director of cardiac
rehabilitation and exercise laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Michigan, and a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said the results of the Italian study were “fascinating”.
“They were able to see modest changes in all variables,” Franklin said. “I see some potentially very exciting research and clinical applications to people with disabilities, where modest changes could have very significant salutatory effects. If they listen to music through headphones while they exercise, can we get better changes on such measures as oxygen flow and blood pressure?”
Researchers are now looking forward to promote this kind of therapy. “One logical next step would be to encourage interdisciplinary research with relevant clinical populations receiving specific music therapy interventions,” said Al Bumanis, a spokesman for the America Music Therapy Association.
Presently, music therapy is being tested in people undergoing cardiovascular treatment or the ones suffering from a brain injury. The effectiveness of the therapy is also being seen in premature babies, among others, said Bumanis.
The current study report has been published in the June 22 online edition of Circulation.
Post new comment