As our theme for International Wellbeing Wednesday is ‘Change your environment, Change your state’, today we wanted to talk about music.
Music has a huge impact on your environment, but did you know that it can also help with your wellbeing?
“Music is a therapy. It is a communication far more powerful than words, far more immediate, far more efficient.” – Yehudi Menuhin
Music stimulates our body’s natural feel-good chemicals e.g. endorphins and dopamine (a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centres). A recent study reported in Nature Neuroscience, found that the level of dopamine went up by 9% when participants were listening to music that they enjoyed. This study shows that music is inextricably linked with our deepest rewards systems.
Music can speak to individuals from a range of perspectives, depending on the environment and the person listening. Music can also reduce stress and anxiety or change the room ambience to foster a better frame of mind. Play some music and you will begin to experience changes in your blood flow, heart rate, breathing and posture.
At The Stress Management Society, we have an overhead audio system playing stress busting tunes throughout the day. We find that listening to music has resulted in better productivity, especially during the mornings to help energize everyone!
Music can help also aid many wellbeing activities such as:
- Exercise: It can help promote and sustain physical performance by increasing endurance by as much as 15% according to a study at Brunel University London
- Meditation: Music during meditation can help relax and calm the mind to help us reflect more deeply
- Sleep: 45 minutes listening to music before bed time has proven to result in better perceived sleep quality, less sleep disturbance and a shorter time to fall asleep.
So what are you waiting for? Tune in and turn the music on.
Click here to read our Ultimate Wellbeing Environment Press Release
Click here to read more about Our Ultimate Wellbeing Environment “The Lighthouse”
Click here to read more about how to “Bring The Outside In”
Click here to read more about starting a “Healthy Lifestyle“
Click here to see how to Declutter towards a Positive Wellbeing
