Music to Reduce Stress

Shared by Dr. Bryan Stephens

Chronic stress and tension play a big role on our body as it moves toward a state of chronic inflammation or towards a more healthy outcome. As stress, or perceived stress increases, our body releases a stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol, while necessary for us to function and a normal response for acute stresses, creates inflammation when it is released for longer periods of time. With the chronic inflammation, our body is more prone to neck pain, back pain, headaches, and degeneration. It is also what leaves us more prone to lifestyle diseases such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. This makes it imperative to find ways to lower the amount of chronic inflammation in the body.

There are many tools to use to help with inflammation that comes to prolonged stress. As Chiropractors, we often go over breathing techniques, meditation, prayer, and gratitude journals with our patients in East Dallas. One thing I wanted to focus on for today is music. Music therapy can be very helpful in reducing the stress response when exposed to a stressful stimulus. When looking at the body’s resiliency to stress, classical music has been shown to be effective in aiding with the stress response.

“Statistical results show that Frontal Alpha Asymmetry index obtained in classical music group has a significant difference if compared to personal preferred group and control group (rest in silence), indicating that classical music is a more effective tool for mental stress relief”

10. A. Khan, M. Chennafi, G. Li and G. Wang, “Electroencephalogram-Based Comparative Study of Music Effect on Mental Stress Relief,” 2018 11th International Congress on Image and Signal Processing, BioMedical Engineering and Informatics (CISP-BMEI), Beijing, China, 2018, pp. 1-5, doi: 10.1109/CISP-BMEI.2018.8633019.

The goal is not to reduce stress but become resilient to the stresses of life. It is impossible to eliminate all stress, but we can reduce the time we experience stress and in turn lower the amount of inflammation in the body and thus reduce the chances of neck pain, back pain, headaches, and lifestyle diseases in general.

Our Message

When you are looking for a Chiropractor near you that you can trust, choose one who will not only get rid of your back pain, neck pain, or headaches but who will also guide you to living a healthier lifestyle to keep you out of pain. Our East Dallas Chiropractors located in Lakewood, near the corner of Mockingbird Ln. and Abrams Rd., are here to teach you that taking care of your mental health and getting the proper nutrients are just as important as the chiropractic adjustment to stay healthy.