You don’t have to be a music virtuoso or even sing on-key to enjoy the benefits of music. Music is something you can appreciate, whether you are able to read sheet music or not. Researchers have found that Alzheimer’s patients who listen to music actually experience less stress and are able to perform everyday tasks better than dementia patients who do not listen to a soft flowing melody.

Music Improves Academic Performance

While you don’t want to listen to an ear-splitting rendition of a song, you certainly can benefit from listening to the gentle strains of classical Beethoven or Bach. Studies show that listening to the classics enables students, for example, to score better on tests and perform better academically. It also helps them to sleep better before taking those big exams.

Reduce Pain by Listening to Music

Research also shows that music relieves pain intensity, especially in the areas of geriatric care, palliative medicine and intensive care.

Enjoy Exercise More by Listening to a “Workout” Tune

Music can be a therapy that can help relax you and increase your mental functioning at the same time. A loud heavy-metal number may not be the best music to select, but a catchy rock or exercise tune has been shown to provide certain health benefits. Listening to faster paced songs causes people, according to research, to work out harder than when they do not listen to music at all. Music improves workout endurance and speeds up the recovery time from an exercise activity as well.

Get Thinner by Listening to a Classical Masterpiece

If you want to eat fewer calories, listen to a soft melody – an affordable and effective treatment to diet-inducing aids. The emotions people experience when listening to a pleasant song also increase the blood flow and trigger the release of stress reducer chemicals in the body.

Get Rid of a Migraine

Listening to slower musical beats can also cause the listener to fall into a meditative state, thereby easing such afflictions as PMS, depression and migraines. While meditative or classical music is shown to be uplifting, again, listening to heavy metal sounds can enhance depression and certainly is not advised for any kind of headache.

Get in Touch with Your Emotions

In one 2013 study, researchers discovered that pleasant musical sounds enabled people to get in better touch with their feelings. Participants said that self-awareness was one of the key benefits they derived from participating in the experiment.

Got an MP3?

Music aids in speeding up recovery times, improves one’s mood, alleviates headaches and induces sleep. If you own an MP3 and earphones, then make good use of them. You will find that the small, unobtrusive player and ear buds can be essential aids in feeling better both physically and mentally.