Music is medicine for the mind, body and soul.
There’s nothing quite like listening to your all time favourite song by your all time favourite artist. Suddenly, you’re transported to another space and time and nothing else matters.
But why is music so powerful - and how can we truly tap into it? Let’s explore music and the wellbeing connection.
The Power of Music
When we listen to music, there’s a biochemical response that’s released in our brain called dopamine that creates a natural high feeling. Music therapy is so effective because not only does it make you feel better - but it actually physically alleviates pain in your body.
On top of that, music is found to help improve your overall sleep quality, express your emotions, reduce anxiety, lower your blood pressure and feel more at peace.
So the question now becomes: can many of your day-to-day issues be resolved by simply popping in your earbuds and slipping into those magical beats? Yes! We’ve just scratched the surface on how something so simple and so accessible is so incredibly beneficial for you.
How to Tap into The Power of Music
The best way to benefit from music is to find ways to incorporate it more in your daily life. Take some time now to think about your daily routine. Are there spaces in time that you can incorporate more music?
For instance, if you go into work every day, then think about creating a Spotify playlist. Add all the songs you love to listen to the most and that’ll make you enjoy your morning and afternoon commute.
If you’re someone who loves to move your body and go to the gym pretty often, then create a ‘Work Out’ playlist that will keep you pumped and motivated. If you’re an early bird and like to take your time getting ready in the morning, then make sure to jive to some exciting jams and get your day started on the right foot!
Think about all the times you could be benefiting more from music and then curate a playlist that’ll keep you energized and feeling your best.
Learning an Instrument
If you want to get even more into the benefits of music, then think about learning a new instrument. Pretty soon, you’ll be engaging with music on a whole other level.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to play the drums, or the piano, or the guitar… Now's your chance! Go out to the store, pick up that instrument and give it a go.
If you’re hesitating to get started but deep down, you really want to, then consider this: life is all about taking risks and challenging yourself to try new things. There are always a million reasons not to do something, but you’ve got to just keep pushing through. Playing an instrument is incredibly rewarding on so many levels. It’s never too late to learn something new, to challenge yourself and to indulge in your wildest musical passions.
Adding Music to Your Meditation Practice
When things feel like they’re all over the place, when your mind is scattered, when you’re feeling overwhelmed… You absolutely need to make the space in your life to turn to meditation. It’s a remedy for your mind, body and soul. Take some few deep breaths and just focus on the present moment.
On a deeper level, there’s something to be said about adding music to your meditation practice to make it an even more relaxing experience. If you want a tip on how to make this as peaceful as possible, then choose instrumental pieces with a slow tempo to help you focus better and guide your breath.
Noise Pollution
Sound and music are all around us, 24/7. We’re living in a digital world with constant noise pollution. It could be the incessant ‘ding’ of our cell phone notifying us of a text message or email - or it could be the loud traffic outside of your house. Noise is constantly surrounding and enveloping our every sense.
Noise pollution is so problematic that researchers found it to be one of the leading causes of health issues worldwide. Why? It increases cortisol in your body. Essentially, you’re becoming stressed out by the constant noises around you and that stress is extremely bad for your body.
What’s the solution to all of this? Being intentional about how you tune in to sounds and frequencies around you.
Sound Healing and High Frequency Music
Sound is healing on a profound level. You can use sound to tune in to your chakras - the 7 main energy wheels. Each of the 7 chakra points correspond to organs and hormones in your body. Sound can be used to help balance your chakras if they’re blocked or not functioning optimally.
Believe it or not, some sound frequencies can actually help your tissues rest, heal and regenerate. Some frequencies can also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system - the ‘rest and digest’ system… and so much more.
To understand what frequency you should be listening to sounds and music at to get all the added health and wellness benefits, here is a quick rundown of each sound frequency and further comprehensive breakdown of how they align with each chakra:
- 174 Hz - Healing Frequency: Helps relieve your pain and stress
- 285 Hz - Tissue Repair: Targets your energy field and heals tissues and organs
- 396 Hz - Liberating Frequency | Root Chakra: Liberates you from fear, guilt and negative energy
- 417 Hz - Resonating Frequency | Sacral Chakra: Helps break negative patterns and facilitate positive change
- 528 Hz - Love Frequency | Solar Plexus Chakra: Fosters love and compassion, promotes healing, transformation and DNA repair
- 639 Hz - Connecting Frequency | Heart Chakra: Manifest love, enhance communication, understanding and harmony in relationships
- 741 Hz - Awakening Frequency | Throat Chakra: Helps with self-expression, clarity and communication
- 852 Hz - Intuition Frequency | Third Eye Chakra: Deepens one’s perception and intuition, connecting with a higher power.
- 963 HZ - Frequency of the Universe | Crown Chakra: Encouraging a sense of oneness, unity with the universe, cosmic consciousness and spiritual connection.
If you’re open to discovering all of the benefits of these different frequencies, then do an online search using the Hz frequency listed above.
Once you’re ready, try doing a sound bath. This is a deeply relaxing experience where you lie down on a mat or blanket. You then use props and cushions to get comfortable and get ‘bathed’ in sound vibrations. Close your eyes, listen to high-frequency sounds and discover what you’re able to heal and tap into.
Polysleep Takeaway
Music is medicine for the soul and connects to us on so many fundamental, cellular levels. It can help you feel more joyful, empowered and focused as well as balanced, aligned and spiritually connected.
Music can help reduce stress and anxiety and make you more in tune, awakened and intuitively aware of yourself and the world around you.
By knowing how powerful sound and music is, it’s imperative to incorporate it more into your daily routine. You’ll be surprised to find that it’ll help you lead a more balanced, healthy and fulfilled life.
Here at Polysleep, we are always looking at incorporating different elements and routines to help improve your overall health and sleep quality. If you’re interested in knowing more, then read this blog article: Is music good for sleeping?
