If your New Year’s resolution includes taking better care of your health, one way to stick to it is to play more music. I’m no doctor, and I don’t play one on TV, but research shows there are health benefits to being a musician. And don’t worry, you don’t have to be a professional to reap the benefits.
Recently, at my job, we launched a wellness contest to help encourage people to get on the path to wellness. When I think of wellness for some reason I think of exercise and losing weight. But wellness is much more than that. It’s about being healthy in mind, body and spirit. And what better way to accomplish that but with music. Here is a list of how playing music is good for your health:
- Relieves stress – When you’re stressed, there are genes in your body that switch on and produce a certain chemical in response. Playing music actually switches off these genes, according to WebMD. So if you’re feeling stress from work, family, finances, sit down and play some tunes. It should literally make you feel better.
- Lowers blood pressure – Research shows that playing music can lower blood pressure and lessen anxiety and depression.
- Helps us to fight viruses – There is evidence that music enhances our immunological response, helping us to fight viruses.
- Exercise for the brain – Playing music promotes memory. Just think of all the tunes you’ve learned and continue to learn. It’s literally a workout for your brain!
- Keeps the mind sharp – According to a study published by the American Psychological Association, playing an instrument when you’re young keeps the mind sharper as you age. But don’t feel bad if you’re like me and started playing later in life, there are health benefits for us old folk too!
- Makes you happy – Listening to music releases Dopamine, which is the happy chemical in your brain. So playing music literally makes you happy.
The most important benefit of all is that playing music is fun and if it’s fun, it’s got to be good for your health. Now stop reading and go play some tunes.
Related articles
by Katrina VanTyne
Session Obsession 