8 Surprising Reasons Music Makes for a Healthier You

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Here’s a guest post from Samantha Griffo, a music and arts and crafts lover at Zingcrafts.com, who is almost as obsessed about music and health as we are!

We’re getting pretty health conscious these days. Smoking rates are down, we look at what we eat more closely and try to exercise. But did you know that just listening to a few songs can also help? Here are 8 surprising reasons music makes for a healthier you.

Natural painkiller
Instead of loading your body up with dozens of different pills to combat every ache and pain you’re experiencing, it turns out just listening to the right kind of music has a pretty powerful impact on your body’s ability to regulate pain sensations.

Supercharged immune system
You know when you see a group of people in a music video or film walking in slow motion with some epic music playing in the background? Well it turns out that just listening to a couple of absolute bangers for an hour has the same effect on you, at least on the inside.

Increased mental fortitude
Depression is one of the most common problems in our society, and it’s not easy to treat. Now, we’re not saying that simply listening to any old bit of music is going to make all of your problems go away, but it turns out that music can help with treating depression. Listening to sad songs won’t help though, instead you’ll have to pick some more positive in tone.

Less stress
You know how some people love to treat themselves to a day at the spa, perhaps with a good massage (not that kind, get your mind out of the gutter,) well it turns out that simply listening to some of your favourite relaxing music is roughly the equivalent of that, with the added bonus that it won’t cost a fortune.

Stay slim
Obesity is something of an epidemic at the moment, and it brings dozens of other problems along for the ride such as increased risk of diabetes, lethargy and lower mood. Listening to music won’t actively make you shed the extra weight, but it will help you to eat less if you have some music in the background whilst you’re dining.

Reduced heart disease risk
Following on from the previous point of problems that come along for the ride with obesity, heart disease is one of them. As luck would have it, a regular dose of music can help you tackle that before it becomes a problem.

Improved cardiovascular function
If you’re looking to exercise more, or just don’t want to feel so out of breath next time you have to run up a few flights of stairs, it’s time to bust out the tunes. Listening to music makes it easier for your body to regulate blood flow and heart rate, resulting in improved performance.

Goodbye insomnia
Have you ever tried pulling an all-nighter and then instantly regretted it the day after? Perhaps you don’t even have a choice in the matter as your brain just will not shut down. Sleep deprivation is extremely bad for your health, both physically and mentally, and it gets worse with each subsequent night of poor or limited sleep. Relaxing instrumental music is actually better than total silence for helping you drift off faster.

All told, it seems like the next time you go to visit your doctor you should ask what album you should listen to rather than which pills you need to take. Of course, these surprising reasons music makes for a healthier you aren’t a substitute for actual medicine, but it’s quite impressive just how much your body can do for itself when it has the right soundtrack.