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Opera 'is music for the heart' Opera 'is music for the heart'
(about 8 hours later)
Listening to the right kind of music can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, a study has revealed.Listening to the right kind of music can slow the heart and lower blood pressure, a study has revealed.
Rousing operatic music, like Puccini's Nessun Dorma, full of crescendos and decrescendos is best and could help stroke rehabilitation, say the authors.Rousing operatic music, like Puccini's Nessun Dorma, full of crescendos and decrescendos is best and could help stroke rehabilitation, say the authors.
Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals.Music is already used holistically at the bedside in many hospitals.
Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernable physical effects on the body as well as mood, Circulation journal reports.Not only is it cheap and easy to administer, music has discernable physical effects on the body as well as mood, Circulation journal reports.
Music with faster tempos increases breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, while slower-pace music does the reverse.Music with faster tempos increases breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, while slower-pace music does the reverse.
Music induces a continuous, dynamic - and to some extent predictable - change in the cardiovascular system Lead researcher Dr Luciano BernardiMusic induces a continuous, dynamic - and to some extent predictable - change in the cardiovascular system Lead researcher Dr Luciano Bernardi
Dr Luciano Bernardi and colleagues, from Italy's Pavia University, asked 24 healthy volunteers to listen to five random tracks of classical music and monitored how their bodies responded.Dr Luciano Bernardi and colleagues, from Italy's Pavia University, asked 24 healthy volunteers to listen to five random tracks of classical music and monitored how their bodies responded.
They included selections from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, an aria from Puccini's Turandot, a Bach cantata (BMW 169), Va Pensiero from Nabucco and Libiam Nei Lieti Calici from La Traviata.They included selections from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, an aria from Puccini's Turandot, a Bach cantata (BMW 169), Va Pensiero from Nabucco and Libiam Nei Lieti Calici from La Traviata.
Every musical crescendo - a gradual volume increase - "aroused" the body and led to narrowing of blood vessels under the skin, increased blood pressure and heart rate and increased respiratory rates.Every musical crescendo - a gradual volume increase - "aroused" the body and led to narrowing of blood vessels under the skin, increased blood pressure and heart rate and increased respiratory rates.
Conversely, the decrescendos - gradual volume decreases - caused relaxation, which slowed heart rate and lowered blood pressure.Conversely, the decrescendos - gradual volume decreases - caused relaxation, which slowed heart rate and lowered blood pressure.
Swelling crescendosSwelling crescendos
The researchers tested out various combinations of music and silence on the volunteers and found tracks rich in emphasis that alternated between fast and slow, like operatic music, appeared to be the best for the circulation and the heart.The researchers tested out various combinations of music and silence on the volunteers and found tracks rich in emphasis that alternated between fast and slow, like operatic music, appeared to be the best for the circulation and the heart.
Verdi's arias, which follow music phrases that are 10 seconds long, appeared to synchronise perfectly with the natural cardiovascular rhythm.Verdi's arias, which follow music phrases that are 10 seconds long, appeared to synchronise perfectly with the natural cardiovascular rhythm.
The power of music is just incredible Diana Greenman, chief executive of Music in Hospitals
Dr Bernadi said: "Music induces a continuous, dynamic - and to some extent predictable - change in the cardiovascular system.Dr Bernadi said: "Music induces a continuous, dynamic - and to some extent predictable - change in the cardiovascular system.
"These findings increase our understanding of how music could be used in rehabilitative medicine.""These findings increase our understanding of how music could be used in rehabilitative medicine."
Diana Greenman is chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospitals, hospices and care and residential homes across the country, which was originally set up after the war to help injured veterans.Diana Greenman is chief executive of Music in Hospitals, a UK-based charity that provides live music to hospitals, hospices and care and residential homes across the country, which was originally set up after the war to help injured veterans.
She said: "We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible.She said: "We have seen enormous benefits in people who have had strokes or heart attacks. The power of music is just incredible.
"Music is holistic, but I hear time and again of stroke patients who suddenly are able to move in time to the music after previously being paralysed.""Music is holistic, but I hear time and again of stroke patients who suddenly are able to move in time to the music after previously being paralysed."
She said it was important to tailor the performance to the individual, since not all people appreciate the same music.She said it was important to tailor the performance to the individual, since not all people appreciate the same music.
A spokesman for the Stroke Association said: "We have seen from previous pieces of research that a positive emotional state - that can be brought on from listening to music - can help stroke survivors.
"In fact, many of our support groups use music and singing techniques to aid stroke survivors' recoveries.
"We would therefore welcome further research into this particular study which could help benefit the 150,000 people affected by stroke each year."