Thursday Health & Wellness

The Health Benefits of Music

I have always believed in the power of music and what it can do for a person’s well-being.

Music has a way of meeting us exactly where we are. Sometimes it allows us to sit with what we are feeling. Other times, it helps us shift our minds, change our energy and move into a completely different emotional space.

A song can bring tears to our eyes before we fully understand what we are feeling. Another song can make us get up, move our bodies and remember that there is still joy inside us.

Music is powerful like that.

It can be part of exercising, dancing, celebrating, relaxing, focusing and connecting with other people. It can set the mood for romance, bring families together and turn an ordinary drive into a private concert.

We also use music to comfort those who may not have the words to explain what they need. A gentle melody can help soothe a crying baby, settle an anxious elder or create a calmer environment for an animal. Music does not always require an explanation. Sometimes the rhythm, tone and familiarity are enough.

Music and the Mind

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, listening to or playing music engages the brain in complex ways. Research suggests that music may help reduce anxiety and pain while supporting mood, sleep, mental alertness and memory. Familiar songs can be especially meaningful because music is often connected to people, places and important moments in our lives. Johns Hopkins Medicine

Have you ever heard the first few notes of a song and immediately returned to another time in your life?

You remember where you were.

You remember who you were with.

Sometimes you can even remember what the air felt like.

That is more than hearing a song. That is memory coming alive.

Music-based programs are also being studied as supportive tools for people living with conditions such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. Music is not a cure, but researchers are learning more about how rhythm and active music-making may support movement, communication, memory and quality of life. Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine

Music and the Body

The right music can make us want to move—even when exercising was not part of the original plan.

An upbeat playlist may make walking, stretching or working out feel more enjoyable. We may keep moving longer because our attention is no longer centered entirely on the effort. The rhythm gives our bodies something to follow.

Slower music can have the opposite—but equally valuable—effect. It can help create an atmosphere for resting, breathing and winding down.

Music may also help change how strongly we experience discomfort. It cannot diagnose or treat the cause of pain, but it may redirect some of our attention, reduce tension and make a difficult moment feel more manageable.

I know from my own experience that when my body hurts, the right song does not necessarily remove the pain—but it can keep the pain from owning the entire room.

Music and Our Emotions

Music gives us permission to feel.

There are songs we play when we are happy, songs we reach for when our hearts are broken and songs that remind us that we have survived things we once thought would take us out.

But we should also pay attention to what we repeatedly feed our spirits.

If I am already feeling low, replaying sad music for hours may allow me to stay stuck in that feeling instead of helping me move through it. There is nothing wrong with sitting with our emotions, but at some point, we may need to change the soundtrack.

That does not mean pretending everything is fine.

It means recognizing when the music is helping us process—and when it is helping us dwell.

Choose the Music You Need

Your daily music does not have to come from anyone else’s playlist. Choose what works for you.

Play something upbeat while cleaning or exercising.

Try instrumental music when you need to concentrate.

Put on a familiar song when you need comfort.

Create a calming playlist for bedtime.

Dance—even if you are dancing from a chair.

Sing loudly when you need to release something.

And please protect your hearing. Music can support our well-being, but listening too loudly or for too long can damage our ears. The World Health Organization recommends keeping the volume down, limiting exposure to loud sound and giving your ears quiet breaks. World Health Organization

Music is one of the few wellness tools that can travel with us almost anywhere. It does not require perfect mobility, expensive equipment or a special location.

Sometimes it only requires pressing play.

Music can meet us where we are—and, when we are ready, help carry us somewhere else.

What is one song that can change your entire mood the moment you hear it?

—Lady Flava Wellness 🌻