Tune Out Stress: How Music Can Relieve Stress?

By: Melody Murillo

You might be dealing with a stressful time. Like getting a bad grade on your last test, struggling to balance home life and school life, and too many chores piling up. Relieving stress that has built up is very good for you health-wise. Stress is linked and sometimes the real cause behind health issues such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and even worsened asthma. One way to help deal with stress is music. Certain music genres can help calm you down. It can alter what chemicals your brain is pumping out. Music like heavy metal, jazz, and classical music can be a big help.

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One very good music genre to help is classical music. This category of music has been around for a long time. Famous composers like Ludwig van Beethoven or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have made many popular classical pieces. Classical music has been shown to help your heart rate. A study from www.symponycentralcoast.com that classical music “ classical music can cause the heart rate and breathing to slow, and emotional distress to decrease.” not only this but classical music can also help reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol is a chemical that is used to help the body respond to danger. When your body starts pumping too much cortisol it can cause health complications. Classical music will help relieve the stress caused by this chemical reaction in the brain. Helping this stress go away will help you physically as well as mentally.

Another music genre very good for stress relief is rock music. This style of music has been shown to reduce stress, increase positive emotions, and regulate mood. https://youthmusic.org.uk/mental-health-and-power-heavy-music states how, just like classical music, heavy metal, and rock music can help decrease cortisol levels. Not only has it been shown to help decrease cortisol levels, but it also boosts serotonin levels. Serotonin can make you happier, give you better focus, and make you calmer. Rock music can help reduce stress and in turn, make you even happier or make you more motivated. 

Another helpful type of music is jazz. It has many aids to combat anxiety and stress. Stress can cause aches in the body. Jazz helps combat that. Jazz has been shown to help relax the body. Stress can also make it difficult to sleep. To help you go to sleep, you should put on jazz for some help. Just like rock music, it can also boost serotonin. A study that was done by the University of Nevada helped to show that jazz music can have profound effects on the body.  It can help reduce heart rate. Jazz music can help reduce the likelihood of developing depression. It can improve verbal abilities, help improve memory, and improve concentration.  Overall, jazz music can help you mentally and physically in multiple ways.

Stress has many negative effects on the body. There are many ways to help combat stress. Things like meditation, sleep, exercise, journaling, and more can help. Most of us have easy access to music though unlike things like gyms. Music can help reduce stress greatly. You can also listen to music at many different times of the day. You can use it while doing homework or walking somewhere. If you're feeling stressed you should try music to relax. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

"The Effects Of Classical Music On The Brain"

Symphony Central Coast, Nov, 2024. www.symphonycentralcoast.com.

"Mental Health And The Power Of Heavy Music."

Youth Music, Nov, 2024. youthmusic.org.uk/mental-health-and-power-heavy-music.

"Jazz Music: A Relaxation and Stress Relief Tool."

University of Nevada, Nov, 2024. www.universityofnevada.edu.