Music has a long history of healing physical and mental illnesses. Many clinical findings indicate that music reduces blood pressure in various patients and attenuates symptoms in various types of diseases.
Researchers found that people with mild hypertension (high blood pressure) who listened to classical, Celtic or Indian (raga) music for just 30 minutes a day for one month had significant reductions in their blood pressure.
Systolic blood pressure decreases significantly during exposure to music and after cessation of the music.
Systolic blood pressure decreases gradually after the start of the music exposure period; the decrease last for at least 30 min postmusic exposure, and then returns gradually to the premusic level.
Music with faster tempi and simpler rhythmic structures significantly increased ventilation, breathing rate, mid-cerebral artery blood flow velocity, and heart rate. Slower music had less effect and raga induced a significantly large drop in heart rate. When the music was paused, heart rate, blood pressure, and ventilation decreased, sometimes even below the starting rate. The effects appeared to be dependent on the tempo of the music rather than on the style. The 2-min pauses were associated with the lowest systolic BP and diastolyc BP, heart rate, and minute ventilation. None of the effects differed between the musician and nonmusician groups, except the respiratory rate, which was significantly lower at baseline and increased more in response to faster music in the musicians.
By playing recordings of relaxing music every morning and evening, people with high blood pressure can train themselves to lower their blood pressure - and keep it low.
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