Half hour of music good for the soul and blood pressure

Listening to music 30 minutes or more each day, can substantially lower blood pressure, Italian researchers have told an American Society of Hypertension conference in New Orleans, the home of good traditional US music.

Lead researcher, Dr Pietro A Modesti, of the University of Florence, said, “Listening to music is soothing, and has often been associated with controlling patient reported pain or anxiety, and acutely reducing blood pressure.

“For the first time, our results clearly illustrate the impact daily music listening has on the ambulatory blood pressure”.

The Italian study tracked 48 people aged between 45 and 70, who had mild hypertension.

It was found that those who listened to Celtic, Indian, or classical music for half an hour each day for one month, showed significant reductions in blood pressure.

Dr Modesti said, “We are excited about the positive implications for both patients and physicians, who can now confidently explore music listening as a safe, effective, non-pharmacological treatment option, or a complement to therapy.

“Easy and enjoyable daily music listening, combined with slow abdominal breathing may help people naturally lower their blood pressure”.