Music eases stress in heart patients

London, April 12: A Cochrane Systematic Review found that listening to music could decrease blood pressure (BP), heart rate, and levels of anxiety in heart patients.

Uncertainties and anxieties surrounding diagnosis and the various procedures involved in treatment can significantly worsen the condition. For example, stress can increase BP, leading to an increased risk of complications. Listening to music may help alleviate stress and therefore reduce this risk. "Our findings suggest listening to music may be beneficial for heart disease patients," said Joke Bradt, at the Arts and Quality of Life Research Centre at Temple University, Philadelphia. Researchers reviewed data from 23 studies, which together included 1,461 patients. Two studies focussed on patients treated by trained music therapists, but most did not, using instead interventions where patients listened to pre-recorded music on CDs offered by healthcare professionals, said a Temple release. IANS