David Morey 
For thousands of years, humans have been making music for various purposes. Ancient humans living in caves produced music on percussion instruments made from animal bones for religious purposes, composers created sweeping orchestral compositions for royalty, and movie composers like the great John Williams used music to add atmosphere and ambiance to Hollywood blockbusters. The effect of music on the human psyche is so profound that entire areas of psychological study center around it, particularly in how it can both positively and negatively affect the human body. Music has been known for years to positively affect human stress and cortisol levels, so much so that doctors regularly use relaxing music to calm anxious patients before surgery, and massage therapists use music to relax patients before deep tissue treatments. These physiological responses are so profound they can even alter hormonal levels.
Effects of Music on the Body
Have you ever walked into a church and felt goosebumps as an ancient organ was playing a sweeping overture that echoed off the rafters? Have you ever cried at a sad song or felt your stress levels rise as the deep tones of music signaled the shark’s approach in Jaws? These experiences demonstrate how music affects the human brain in various ways. The study of neuroscience and music shows that certain tones and combinations of sounds can alter human brain patterns, altering the way we think and how we feel. Deep discordant tones in minor keys are off-putting to the human brain and raise tension and stress, as often seen in horror movie soundtracks. On the other hand, soft, harmonious tones with instruments that produce flowing sounds, such as the harp, relax the brain, lower the stress hormone cortisol production, and facilitate blood vessel dilation, better circulation, and deeper sleep.
Music as a stress reliever
Doctors and researchers are already using music to treat patients with a variety of conditions that might benefit from lowered stress.
Relaxing music aids in mood regulation and promotes calmness and positivity. By doing this, the body, under less stress, does not produce as much cortisol, which is known to interfere with the body’s ability to produce other hormones, such as testosterone in men. Quite often, men who are getting older face natural declines in testosterone as part of the aging process, but with added excessive stress and raised cortisol levels, some might find it necessary to undergo testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) by buying testosterone cypionate online. Music is also used to treat other conditions made worse by stress, such as:
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s disease
- Cerebral palsy
- Traumatic brain injury
- Memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease
- Epilepsy
Better sleep
The use of music as a sleep aid has spawned entire industries. Using music therapy to reduce stress levels frequently results in better sleep patterns and fewer cases of insomnia. Relaxing music helps to reduce your resting heart rate, distract you from worries that keep you awake, lower blood pressure, and act as white noise against background sounds like traffic. Slow songs that use lower tones help reduce cortisol production, resulting in better sleep, higher energy levels, and a happier mood. This contributes overall to better health and hormonal balance. When you are well-rested during the day, you have better concentration, less of a need for caffeine, and less daytime sleepiness.
Overall health
Music has such an influence over the human mind that in times past, there was real concern that young people who were exposed too early to music of questionable moral character might be driven to violence and criminal activity simply by listening to it.
When young people commit heinous crimes, the media often reports on the music they are listening to, among other influences. While this might be something of a stretch, the fact does remain that music can and does affect overall health, especially over time. Consistently listening to “heavy metal” music, which is designed to excite and increase heart rate, or songs with dehumanizing lyrics can significantly alter important aspects of a person’s life. Conversely, many positive institutions, like churches, spiritual communities, therapists, and counselors, rely on uplifting or relaxing music to inspire positivity, relaxation, and spiritual connection. From these, we see how music is a very powerful tool to reduce stress and boost overall health when applied in a healing manner.
Like many other aspects of the medical profession, music is a tool and not a cure-all, as many people respond differently to music due to various factors. However, relaxing music does indeed reduce cortisol levels and help balance hormones, especially testosterone. When used in conjunction with TRT and other medical interventions, music has the potential to be a valuable asset in the medical toolbox. Ask your physician or therapist about how music might help you on your own journey to a balanced life and better health.
