Listening To Music Is Good For Heart Patients

A new study has disclosed that listening to some types of music could help patients suffering from heart disease to lessen their stress levels.

The study was conducted by scientists at Temple University in Philadelphia.

The researchers looked at over 1,400 patients and found that listening to certain kinds of music lowered blood pressure levels, pulse rate and anxiousness in patients having heart troubles.

The report, published in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, said that the soothing effects were largest when the heart patients picked tunes of their choice.

Researcher Joke Bradt, assistant director of the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University, said, “So we do know from clinical experience that if people select music they like, and the music has sedative qualities such as slow tempo, predictable harmonies and absence of sudden changes, they will be better able to relax to the music.”

The review viewed earlier studies on how music therapy has an effect on patients with heart disease, either during a cardiac procedure or within two days of hospitalization.

According to physicians, less strain decreases the likelihood of other symptoms produced by strain in heart patients.

However, researchers said that the topic needs further research.

Music is the best stress buster for heart disease patients

Washington, Apr 15 (ANI): Do you suffer severe stress and anxiety associated with having and undergoing treatment for coronary heart disease? Well, then bring on the iPod.

A Cochrane Systematic Review has suggested that music can be good for heart disease patients.

According to researchers, listening to music could decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and levels of anxiety in heart patients.

Living with heart disease is extremely stressful. The uncertainties and anxieties surrounding diagnosis and the various medical procedures involved in treatment can significantly worsen the condition. For example, stress can increase blood pressure, leading to increased risk of complications. Music listening may help to alleviate stress and therefore reduce this risk.

“Our findings suggest music listening may be beneficial for heart disease patients,” says Joke Bradt, who works at the Arts and Quality of Life Research Center at Temple University in Philadelphia.

“But the trials we looked at were generally small and varied in terms of styles of music used and length of music sessions. More research on the specifics of music listening is certainly warranted,” the expert added.

To reach the conclusion, researchers reviewed data from 23 studies, which together included 1,461 patients. Two studies focused on patients treated by trained music therapists, but most did not, using instead interventions where patients listened to pre-recorded music on CDs offered by healthcare professionals.

Listening to music provided some relief for coronary heart disease patients suffering from anxiety, by reducing heart rate and blood pressure. There was also some indication that music listening improved mood, although no improvement was seen for patients suffering from depression due to the disease.

“We all know that music can impact on our emotions, our physiological responses, as well as our outlook on life, and this early research shows that it is well worth finding out more about how it could help heart disease patients. In particular, it would be interesting to learn more about the potential benefits of music offered by trained music therapists, which may be differ substantially from those associated with pre-recorded music,” says Bradt. (ANI)