Music’s Health Benefits Sing a Happy Tune

Everyone should have a steady diet of fruits, vegetables, and music. That’s right, music is good for the soul, and the rest of your body. Authors of the latest study on music’s health benefits claim that the best type is opera, which may help particularly with stroke rehabilitation. woman with ipod

Researchers tested various combinations of music with silence on volunteers and found that songs that emphasized alternating between fast and slow tempos were most effective in improving circulation and heart health.

“We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible,” says Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospital patients.

“I hear time and again of stroke patients who suddenly are able to move in time to the music after previously being paralyzed,” she adds

Greenman emphasized that music has to be tailored to the patients’ taste. No word on whether or not that could include hardcore or thrash metal. The examples given at the BBC website are all classical and opera, with Verdi’s Arias the most effective. It has musical phrases 10 seconds long, which appears to synchronize perfectly with the natural cardiovascular rhythm.