Playing a musical instrument can help reduce stress. — Photos: Freepik
If you have not sung a song yet today, then try and change that, as singing is good for your health, enjoyable, and can relieve inner tension, say experts.
"Singing in the shower even boosts self-confidence," says Markus Henrik, a German author and musician who says science shows the music reverberates in the shower while the water is relaxing.
What if you don’t hit the right notes?
"Singing in the shower is good for you. It's liberating. It doesn't matter whether you hit the notes or not. Warbling a melody makes you breathe more deeply which brings more oxygen into your body," says music psychologist and pianist Karl Hormann.
Your heartbeat also starts to adjust to the rhythm if you sing in a group, stabilising your cardiac rhythm. Singing in a choir has a positive effect on your cardiovascular system, a Swedish study found.
But it is not only singing that is good for you. Playing an instrument or listening to music also has a positive effect on your health.
To reduce stress, "play an instrument for at least 15 minutes or listen to music to get into a flow," Hormann says. What kind of music it should be, from classical to pop, is up to you and what you like best.
Whether or not you hit the right notes, singing is good for you.
Brain responds immediately
"Music affects us immediately," says Henrik, adding this is partly for evolutionary reasons. "In the past, people had to be able to distinguish sounds within a fraction of a second."He says our ancestors had to ask themselves, was that a gust of wind that made the bush rustle or is it a bear about to swat me with its paw?
"Sounds are immediately evaluated in the brain," says Henrik. That's why even when we hear songs on the radio, we can say right away, "Please turn that off," or, "Turn it up!"
"Music is the only drug that has no side effects" he says. And different kinds of music help in a range of ways. You feel motivated by positive music while sad music makes you feel understood.
If you hear a sensitive voice singing, you feel less alone. "Someone is there for us. He or she is then also a representative and sings out our pain," Henrik says. Many people feel better after listening to music, an effect due to our hormones. If you listen to ballads, for example, that releases "cuddle hormone" oxytocin.
Many people exercise listening to songs to help them feel motivated.
How music can push us during exercise
However, music can do much more. Many people exercise listening to songs to help them feel motivated and that can also affect their performance, says Hormann.
Music can definitely have a positive impact on your performance, especially in sports with a cyclical rhythm like jogging or cycling, as it distracts you, puts you in a good mood and helps you focus on the environment, says sports scientist Ingo Frobose. As it helps you see training as not so strenuous, that can improve performance.
But don't overdo it so the effect of the music does not wear off during training. Try having one session without music after two sessions accompanied by your favourite sounds.
Music is also often part of therapy, particularly for depression. Studies show certain music and sounds can reduce the need for pain medication, naturally under medical supervision.
Music's motivating power
Try using music to improve your motivation. "If you have a certain goal in mind, make a suitable playlist of songs or pieces of music. If you then have the impression that you need to remind yourself of your goal or need a motivational boost, listen to your playlist," Henrik says.
"We simply need it, the music," says Hormann. Rhythm can help you even if you are not directly listening to music, he adds.
"A rhythm in triple time can often be easily integrated into everyday life," says Hormann. Try it when you go out shopping by mentally counting "one, two, three" to yourself.
Try different ways of integrating more music into your life, says Henrik. Listen to good radio stations, go to record shops and even pick up a musical instrument. Music is a blessing in every phase of life, even in retirement, he says.
So start in the shower, using the shower head as a microphone if you like, Henrik says. "Actively warbling a little song once a day is also a good start!” – dpa
Pullout quote: Different kinds of music help in a range of ways. You feel motivated by positive music while sad music makes you feel understood. Markus Henrik
