Maintaining a healthy heart surely requires a balanced diet and plenty of exercise. But good music?
University of Maryland School of Medicine researchers discovered that listening to pleasing music can boost blood flow.
“I think listening to music should be part of an overall heart health program,” said lead investigator Dr. Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Miller presented his findings Tuesday at an American Heart Association meeting in New Orleans.
In a four-phase study, 10 healthy nonsmokers listened to music they selected to evoke joy. Participants also listened to music that made them anxious, as well as listen to audio intended to promote relaxation and watch videos intended to induce laughter.
Researchers used a baseline test to determine how the lining of the blood vessels would respond. Participants were asked to abstain from listening to their favorite music for two weeks before the test, so the results would be heightened, Miller said.
The average blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent after listening to joyful music, researchers found. Conversely, the anxious music prompted blood vessels to narrow by 6 percent.
During the laughter phase, participants averaged a 19 percent dilation, researchers found. Miller has previously studied the vascular benefits of laughter.
Listening to good music boosts endorphins, which may activate nitric oxide in the vessel lining, which increases blood flow and prevents the arteries from narrowing.
“Whether one activates the other or they are interconnected isn’t clear, but we need to cross the bridge to understanding these mind and body connections,” Miller said in a phone interview, adding that he plans to study the basic mechanisms causing the cardiovascular benefits.
Previous studies have shown music can reduce stress and anxiety. A 2001 University of Buffalo study found that patients who listened to their choice of music during eye surgery had much lower blood pressure and less cardiovascular stress.
Miller’s findings didn’t surprise Baltimore-area fitness trainer Monte Sanders, a spokesman for the American Heart Association. Good music may encourage some to exercise more, or just relieve stress, he said.
Music “ultimately affects your mood,” he said, “and ultimately affects your heart.”
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