The Benefits of Classical Music

I love music. I love the effect it has on me, on people. I love how there are millions of different kinds of music. I love that you can almost always find a song that will fit perfectly with the mood you are in. Or a song that just speaks to you, in a way no one else really can.

I listen to just about all genres, but my latest kick has been classical music. I've never really been into classical music - definitely not one of those people that played it in the background as they did their work, etc. For some reason I decided to give it a go on Pandora, and not to be super dramatic but, my life has been changed.

I have faced issues such as insomnia, anxiety, stress, the whole works, for just about as long as I can remember. Obviously, college only escalated those issues. I have tried various ways of coping with these problems. Listening to classical music has become a blessing in disguise. I started playing it before bed at night because I found it relaxing and stress relieving. I leave it playing while I sleep (with the t.v. timer set so I don't waste any unnecessary electricity, blah blah blah.) My sleep has really improved. I don't think I've ever found anything (natural) that works this well.

Since I was having such success with classical music for sleep-related purposes, I decided to also play it while I did things that might cause some stress (such as painting my new office) and found that it really helped my levels of stress from rising. It's also been great as background music while I do work for this blog.

I'm sure you've heard it before, that classical music is very beneficial for your brain and health. I did a little bit of research and discovered that some benefits of listening to this type of music include: increased learning capabilities, lower blood pressure, stress reduction, reduced muscle tension, improved sleep quality, etc. Apparently because of its melody and rhythm, classical music affects our brain organization and abilities. More specifically, its rhythm can raise the level of serotonin produced in your brain (which in turn helps with certain mental disorders such as depression and anxiety.)

You might have also heard of the "Mozart Effect" which is a term that originated in the early 90s. According to this claim, Mozart's music (and other similar music) enhances deep rest and rejuvenation as well as creativity and imagination. If you want to learn more about these types of studies, I recommend reading Dan Campbell's book "The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit."

I don't know to what extent all these studies hold truth, but what I do know is that I gave classical music a chance and it helped me tremendously. That's why I want to share with you the benefits it gave me in particular, not just some article you happen to come across claiming all the crazy good benefits you get from listening to Mozart and Beethoven. If anything, just try it for a night or two, or when you're feeling particularly stressed out, and see for yourself what kind of effect this beautiful music may have on you.

   

For more information check out these articles: one & two