7 Ways Music Enhances Your Health

Ahhh...the wonderful sound of music. I've always been a lover of music. There's just something about the rhythm and beat that touches me deeply. Whenever I feel down or need a bit of motivation, I immediately hit the tunes. Miraculously, I feel better or inspired before the first 16 bars are over. While the idea of musical healing dates back to the writings of Aristotle and Plato, the actual discipline began around World War II (American Music Therapy Association). Today, Music Therapists are in great demand as practitioners of alternative medicine. Who would have guessed that by turning to music, I've been treating myself with a form of music therapy all these years?

Just what can music do for you? Here are 7 Ways Music Enhances Your Health:

Exercise Motivation: Remember the Nike+ iPod post and being able to set a "power song"? There's something to it after all. Music gets you moving, particularly if you're listening to something fast paced and heavy on the drums. Just think about cardio music. Makes you want to get up and get active doesn't it? And 1, and 2, and 3, and 4...

Stress Relief: Music can be a vital component in stress relief. How? The rhythm of the music you choose acts as a facilitator for the activities you engage in to unwind and de-stress.

Pain Alleviation: Pain is often translated by the tightening of the muscles in your body. The pulses in music break this muscle tension, allowing you to relax and have a feeling of calm wash over you.

Lifts Depression: A song has the ability to put you in a good mood. Not only does it have the ability to incite happy memories, it can also get you moving which is said to release endorphins (the body's natural "happy pill").

Rest/Relaxation: Soft flowing music, sounds of the ocean and other calm inciting rhythms does wonders for rest and relaxation. Music releases tension and gets you loose. So get comfortable, press play and be transported...

Enhanced Camaraderie: As a great communicator, music has a way of bringing people together. How many times have you felt closer to someone because you share a love of music, or have the same favorite song?

Increased Brain Activity: Playing music has long been one of the therapies used in treating comatose and Alzheimer's patients. The Mozart Effect (a music based theory) is said to increase intelligence. Even music lessons are said to increase one's spatial reasoning ability.

Overall, the effects of music are felt in many areas of our lives. Just about every life experience can be put to music and have "its feelings" conveyed. Music is an essential part of who we are. I'd dare to say that our being itself is music, right down to the beating of our hearts.