August 26, 2022 – Everyone listen: If you’ve ever thought your favorite song made your whole body feel better, new scientific evidence suggests it wasn’t just your imagination.
In fact, not only music has an analgesic or pain-relieving effect. Researchers have found that many types of sounds or noises can help – when played at the right volume.
Physicians and researchers have known for a long time about the connection between sound and the body. Music therapy has been used for decades to relieve pain after surgery, during labor and childbirth, and during cancer treatment.
But why this happens is not well understood. Some theories suggest that the analgesic effects of sound are psychological—that is, they calm or distract a person from pain.
This new research suggests something deeper is at work. And the paper, published in Science, could shed light on the inner workings of the brain and reveal the circuits that operate behind this pain relief.
Yuanyuan (Kevin) Liu, PhD, is a sensory biologist and pain researcher at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and a co-author of the study.
“The relative sound intensity could play a role in pain relief,” he says. “Low-intensity sound is able to inactivate the audio-somatosensory pathway and thus activation of the somatosensory thalamus.” This means that a sound played at low volume appears to dampen activity in parts of the brain that are responsible for signaling pain.
In the study, scientists injected mice with a solution that caused discomfort in their paw. They then applied a variety of sounds of varying intensities, ranging from pleasant music to white noise, and observed whether the rodents’ behavior changed.
According to Liu, what they saw suggested that the sounds “reduced reflexive paw withdrawal and aversion to painful stimuli — indicators of analgesia in rodents.” In other words, the sounds seemed to help reduce pain in the mice.
The ideal volume for pain relief was just 5 decibels above room noise, the researchers found.
“The 5-decibel low-intensity sound is related to the background noise,” Liu explains. “It’s not an absolute value, it’s a relative value.” So you should turn up the volume a little louder than the background noise, wherever you are.
And what could be good news for sludge metal fans, the type of sound played made no difference. Even when sounds were set as “uncomfortable,” playing at the right volume still had a pain-relieving effect.
It doesn’t matter whether you like Mozart or Metallica, at least according to the findings. Both can work – as long as the melodies are played at the right volume.
The future of sound and pain treatment
Liu warns that when transcribing the symphony, we are only in the opening bars of how the body and mind respond to sounds.
“There’s still a long way to go to transfer these results in mice to humans,” he says.
We cannot say with certainty that the human brain functions the same as the mouse brain when exposed to sound. But the results in mice may provide clues as to how our brains might work – and therefore provide us with a piece of the puzzle to understand how sound affects pain perception.
“We hope that our study will open up new directions in the field of sound-induced analgesia,” says Liu. But much more research needs to be done for this.
Can music numb pain?
Since Gardner’s report, scientists and physicians have discovered that music and noise have a wide range of pain-relieving properties. For example, they can help relieve acute pain, such as that experienced during surgery and childbirth, and chronic pain from long-term conditions, such as cancer.
How does music therapy relieve pain? 1 The literature review found that music therapy was effective in reducing anxiety and pain, promoting relaxation, reducing sedation during the procedure, and improving patient satisfaction. Read also : Web3 And the Future of Music.
Does music heal your pain?
Music, whether heard or performed, can help ease the pain associated with a variety of ailments and benefits people of all ages. Music therapy is an effective method of what experts call “procedural support,” or to help a patient get through a procedure that is causing anxiety or pain.
How do you mentally deal with pain?
The following techniques can help you distract yourself from the pain and override established pain signals. See the article : Lafayette Music Festival organizers planning inaugural event in October.
- deep breathing. …
- eliciting the relaxation response. …
- Guided imagery meditation. …
- mindfulness …
- Yoga and Tai Chi. …
- Positive thinking.
What kind of music relieves pain?
When scientists asked study volunteers to rate pain while listening to different types of music, the researchers found that people who listened to snippets of music rated by most as pleasant (such as the romantic piece of music “The Blue Danube Waltz” ), reported less pain than those listening to uncomfortable music. Read also : Pawleys Island Music Festival artists announced for 2022…
Does music heal the brain?
Music can restore some of the brain’s cognitive, sensory, and motor functions after a traumatic injury. Music does more than just put you in a good mood. It’s a wonder drug that does a lot of things right: it revitalizes your mind, relieves stress, arouses emotions, and calms your soul.
How does music therapy heal the brain? By removing the negative energy, music also helps people focus better. It is also often used by doctors during medical procedures. Healing centers also surround people with soothing sounds or noises to make them feel comfortable. In this way, music therapy can release cognitive knots or deficits in the brain.
What type of music heals the brain?
1. Classical Music. Researchers have long claimed that listening to classical music can help people complete tasks more efficiently. Dubbed the “Mozart Effect,” this theory suggests that listening to classical composers can increase brain activity and act as a catalyst for improving health and well-being.
Does music have a healing power?
Scientific evidence suggests that music can have a profound effect on individuals – improving motor and cognitive function recovery in stroke patients, relieving symptoms of depression in patients with dementia, and even helping patients undergoing surgery to to experience less pain and heal faster.
Can music repair brain cells?
We propose that listening to music facilitates neurogenesis, cranial nerve regeneration and repair by regulating steroid hormone secretion, ultimately leading to cerebral plasticity.
What are the 3 types of pain?
There are 3 generally recognized types of pain relevant to musculoskeletal pain: Nociceptive pain (including nociceptive inflammatory pain) Neuropathic pain. nociplastic pain.
What is the most common type of pain? nociceptive pain. Nociceptive pain is the most common type of pain. It is caused by the stimulation of nociceptors, which are pain receptors for tissue injury. You have nociceptors throughout your body, especially in your skin and internal organs.
What is pain and types of pain?
Pain is classified as either acute or chronic. Acute pain is usually severe and short-lived, and is often a signal that your body has been injured. Chronic pain can range from mild to severe, persists for long periods of time, and is often the result of an illness that may require ongoing treatment.
What are the 4 types of pain?
THE FOUR MAIN TYPES OF PAIN:
- Nociceptive pain: Typically the result of tissue injury. …
- Inflammatory pain: An abnormal inflammation caused by an inappropriate response by the body’s immune system. …
- Neuropathic Pain: Pain caused by nerve irritation. …
- Functional Pain: Pain with no apparent origin but can cause pain.
What are the two main types of pain?
Pain is most commonly classified by the type of damage it causes. The two main categories are pain caused by tissue damage, also called nociceptive pain, and pain caused by nerve damage, also called neuropathic pain.
What music is used in music therapy?
According to a British study, songs by Queen, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley are among the most effective for music therapy patients. According to a British study, songs by Queen, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley are among the most effective for music therapy patients.
What instruments do music therapists play? In the field of music therapy, the skill instruments piano, voice, guitar, and percussion are widely recognized as the most useful for clients during active music-making interventions.
How do music therapists choose songs?
Playlist songs should always be selected with cultural, historical and ethical considerations relevant to the listener in mind. Different preferences can often be expressed by the same person, depending on that person’s state of mind at any given time.
What are the 4 methods of music therapy?
The four types of interventions in music therapy
- Promote stimulation or relaxation.
- Facilitate memory or recall.
- develop auditory skills.
- mood-enhancing and anxiety-relieving.
