Here’s one more reason to rock out: music isn’t just good for the soul, it’s good for the body. Patients who listen to music before, during, and after surgery may have less pain, anxiety, and blood pressure than patients who don’t, a new analysis suggests.
Surgery patients who got to pick their own playlists faired even better, researchers found.
Dr. Diana Vetter, of the University of Zurich, and her colleagues analyzed data from 47 studies, 26 of which examined the effect of music before surgery, 25 that looked at music in the operating room and 25 that studied music during recovery. The team found that, over all, music was linked to about 31% less pain, 29% lower odds of needed pain medication and 34% less anxiety. [1]
In addition, patients who listened to music had 40% lower blood pressure and 27% lower heart rate.