For the specialists of the evolution, music is a true enigma: why does our species devote so much time and energy to this activity which does not seem to have any concrete goal?
Some say that music has the important function of making us smarter. Well, know that whoever tried to prove the so-called "Mozart effect" was overwhelmed by criticisms and counter examples, sometimes in mocking tones.
It has long been known that music softens manners. The idea that it has healing virtues dates back to the beginning of history.
Thanks to the effects of music on our body, we can fight mental illnesses and even improve some physical pains. Let's find out how!
To fight against stress
Soft music is very beneficial for the body and the brain. It works a bit like a yoga session, to empty and feel good. The reason is simple the choice of songs you listen to is very personal and will evoke in you unique sensations, related to your memories and your state of mind.
For example, listening to the same tune as you were listening on holiday will inevitably make you feel the link with the state of well-being felt during the holidays!
Morality: The type of music you listen to determines your mood.
To sleep better
Listening to certain songs before going to bed can help you find a more relaxing sleep and complete rest . If you have trouble sleeping, do not hesitate to make a list of tranquilizing songs and listen to them when you go to bed. Close your eyes and breathe calmly.
To live in good health
The voice is, per excellence, the nerve center of the human being. The larynx is indeed a complex crossroads between brain, respiratory and digestive functions, all connected to our emotions. A stroke of freak, and more voices!
Yet it is our most effective therapeutic instrument. Today, we have discovered a close relationship between the action of sound modulations and our metabolic system . One can therefore rightly think of prolonging one's existence and dealing with all kinds of ills, both psychological and physical, by the combined action of sounds and breath control.
To sing is to create powerful sound and emotional vibrations. By releasing nervous tension, they increase energy, soothe and clarify the mind.
The didgeridoo against snoring
Finally, a team of Swiss researchers published an article in the British Medical Journal claiming that playing a wind instrument improves the control of breathing.
This is not due to an action on the psyche or the rhythm of the respiratory acts, but on the strength and coordination of the muscles of the upper respiratory tract. Playing a wind instrument could be useful to stop snoring.
But be careful, not all instruments are appropriate: in this case, the researchers recommend the didgeridoo, a traditional instrument of Australian aborigines, made of a branch of eucalyptus digged by termites, up to four meters long and a width from three centimeters at the mouth to thirty at its other end. The didgeridoo has no holes for the fingers, so it emits a very deep and continuous sound, which can be modulated by moving the lips, cheeks and tongue as if to pronounce vowels.
Since the didgeridoo practice requires uninterrupted breathing - one breathes through the nose while continuing to exhale through the mouth - the exercise would allow the patient to strengthen his breathing muscles resulting in quieter nights for his partner.
Dosage: one hour of didgeridoo for four months, if your neighbors allow you.
For therapeutic effects
However, if we study the effects of music on the body, we would discover that indeed music is good, as evidenced by several scientific studies. Lying down on a couch and listening to pleasant music improves blood circulation, reducing blood pressure .
One could object here that relaxing on a couch while reading an interesting book, or doing anything else nice on a couch could have the same effect. However, the music effect has been the subject of "pure" research carried out with the aid of laboratory mice and designed specifically to try to discover whether these effects have a physiological basis,researchers have verified that listening to music increases the amount of calcium delivered to the brain . This activates the production of dopamine , which in turn inhibits the activity of the sympathetic nervous system(one of the components of the autonomic nervous system ), thus reducing blood pressure.
In summary, through dopamine, guarantees mice a better cardiovascular health and therefore, probably, greater life expectancy . But the study does not tell us whether, thanks to the release of dopamine, the mice find music pleasant, or if the observed effect is related only to distraction, emotion, or both, or if contrary it is an effect of the music independent of the listener.
The research conducted by the two Japanese can seem strange, because the mice in their natural environment do not listen to music.
Soft or classic music soothes, slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure and even decreases stress hormone levels. Also, if you listen to the music you like, it will fill your brain with dopamine.
And while music can soothe anxiety on a daily basis, research has shown that it is especially beneficial for people experiencing stressful events , such as surgery.
On the other hand, if you are tired and lack vitality, listening to catchy music will revitalize you .
The virtues of music are more and more recognized, so much so that the medical community uses it for therapeutic purposes. This is called music therapy . Whether in the perinatal period, at the time of delivery, in times of deep crisis or serious illness, music helps patients overcome events and pains more easily.
Music therapy, a possibility?
Now that part of the mechanism has been elucidated and the role of dopamine has been highlighted, researchers conclude, it is possible to consider the use of music to correct some of the symptoms of the diseases related to this disease. hormone , like Parkinson's disease . We can thus imagine an introduction of music as part of the therapies indicated for this disease, with the awareness of acting on certain specific mechanisms of the brain and not on the basis of empirical observations.
If we accept that music can have a clinical effect on blood pressure, something that has been observed many times, other medical conditions could benefit from listening, and even more from music production, such as epilepsy , the dementia senile and some cardiovascular system dysfunctions.
A group of Italian and English researchers studied the effects of rhythm and melodic structure on respiration and on certain parameters of circulatory function. The speed of music influences our physiology. In particular, listening speeds up breathing and increases pressure and heart rate in proportion to the rhythm of the music and its complexity: the faster the music, the higher these parameters are, probably because of stimulating effect of the sympathetic system.
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