Music and Stress: How can we use music to cope?

Have you ever put your favourite chill playlist on shuffle and noticed that you can focus much better on studying for your math test? Or how, after listening to your favourite song or some nature noises, you suddenly feel calmer? 

Since the first iPod came out 19 years ago, music became readily available on mobile devices, instead of just CD, tape, or vinyl, making it much more accessible. Streaming platforms like Apple Music and Spotify allow you to listen to any music at the push of a button, and with music constantly around us, it has become a very important piece of culture. We often listen to music when studying, hanging out with friends, or simply because we are bored. However, music can be so much more: it can help with stress, it is very beneficial for our mental health and has many other advantages.

At Havergal many of us are often stressed out about the next assignment or test, but what if there were a super simple remedy for that? Have you ever noticed that when you start listening to some relaxing music, you soon forget about whatever was troubling you? Stress is important in small amounts because it helps motivate you to get things done. But when it becomes too much, it is important to take a step back and work on reducing stress. When you are overly stressed it can impact your productivity and motivation. Luckily, there is an easy way to fix this. 

Music has been proven to lower your heart rate, blood pressure, and decrease the levels of stress hormones in your body. Music can be used as a sort of meditation by helping you centre your thoughts while also providing a great distraction from everyday life. You may be wondering how music can do these things. Well, it is because endorphins, a feel-good hormone, are released when we listen to music. These endorphins work to reduce stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that listening to music with around 60 beats per minute can cause your brain to synchronize with the music, creating what are known as alpha brain waves. These brain waves help calm you, as they are present when we feel relaxed. This is why music can also help you to fall asleep. Music may even be able to benefit brain functioning as much as practicing meditation does. 

It is a common misconception that you have to listen to slow classical music in order to get the effects of decreasing stress. However, even listening to faster paced songs and belting it out along with the music can be very beneficial because it helps to release pent-up energy. One university study explored how preferred or nonpreferred, sedative or stimulant music can affect stress levels. Regardless of the type of music, when it was music that was chosen by the participant, stress levels were greatly decreased just by listening to the music. Slower-paced, sedative music also worked to reduce stress on participants who did not choose the music themselves in the study, but the same was not true of faster paced music when it was not chosen by the participant. This study proved that, although slower music may work better to reduce stress hormones, other types of music can have just as many benefits. After being put in a stressful environment and then listening to music, almost all of the participants felt lower stress and tension levels. Additionally, numerous studies have proven that music can help those with depression, reduce feelings of chronic pain and improve sleep quality in those with sleep disorders. 

If you want to start using music to reduce stress, there are many different ways in which music  can be incorporated into your everyday life. You can listen to music while driving on your way to school, walking your dog, working out, taking a shower, cooking dinner, and other everyday tasks. By incorporating some relaxing music into your schedule everyday, your stress levels will decrease. You can make your own playlist of relaxing music, or listen to playlists on your favourite streaming platforms such as Apple Music’s “Relax” playlist or Spotify’s “Relax & Unwind” playlist. One of the benefits of listening to music to reduce stress is that it will not take any time out of your day, and is easy to access. Listening to music is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress, and can help improve productivity and even physical health. Next time you are stressing over the big project or test, try listening to some music and feel the stress melt away!