Friedrich Nietzsche once said, ‘without music, life would be a mistake’. Music is a universal language that connects us all and has the ability to uplift our daily lives in both a physical and mental way. From shower concerts (sorry house mates) to those tunes in the gym; music is an integral part of our daily wellbeing. But have you ever considered the physical benefits music could provide for you? Let’s delve in and explore how music can help us lead a healthier and happier life.

Impact of Music on Physical Health

• Music can be a powerful tool for reducing stress and anxiety. Simply listening to music can reduce the levels of cortisol (our stress hormone) in our bodies. By listening to music, our brains release endorphins which in turn alleviates the symptoms of stress. So, next time you’re on a downer or stressed over too much work, pop on that favourite playlist of yours and feel the benefits.

• Neuroscientist and opera singer Indre Viskontas states that listening to soothing music while feeling anxious can have the additional benefits of reducing your heart rate and promoting deeper breathing. This occurs because our brains start to synchronise with the music meaning if the music has a slower rhythm, it can effectively slow down other functions in our nervous system.

Fitting Music Into Your Daily Routine

• It’s 7am, cold, dark and class starts at 9am. Depressing right? BUT it doesn’t have to be. After experimenting with listening to music as soon as I woke up versus no music at all, I found great benefits in how my day went. Not only was it nice listening to my favourite songs when I woke up, it woke me up faster and sent me a rush of motivation to kickstart my day.

• Music whilst cooking can also make it an immersive experience from the prep work to the cooking to the eating, music simply enhances all these factors and can actually increase the satisfaction of the food you are eating.

• Finally, music before bed is a must! Listening to music before bed can helped relax you and get you ready for bed. A word of warning though, try and keep it to slow-paced songs that either you don’t know the lyrics to or instrumental as a safe bet. Listening to upbeat songs that you want to sing at the top of your lungs is going to make you:

  A. wider awake and

  B. probably make you wish you were at their concert!

Action Plan

• Today create a playlist of tunes that take you to a happy place, music that you can attach to happy memories is always a good start! Have this playlist ready for when you are on a downer and let yourself be picked up by your top 10 classics that are bound to get those happy hormones flowing.

• Or, if like me you can be lazy sometimes, there are loads of pre-made playlists on Apple Music and Spotify that you can choose from!

Music remains such an integral part of our lives and is something we can use to enhance and improve our lifestyle. From today, see what music can do for you! That’s it for this week, keep an eye out on our socials for a surprise that will definitely come in handy.