Listening to yoga music at bedtime is good for the heart

Apart from its role in entertainment, music plays a significant role in our lives, contributing to the development of our brains and associated abilities. In addition to its essential nature, scientists have discovered another advantage of music.

A new study conducted by the European Society of Cardiology suggests that listening to yoga music before bedtime is beneficial for the heart, as it positively affects heart rate variability prior to sleep.

Yoga music refers to soothing or meditative music that induces relaxation. The study involved 149 healthy participants who attended three sessions on separate nights: (1) listening to yoga music before sleep, (2) listening to pop music with steady beats before sleep, and (3) no music or silence before sleep.

During each session, scientists measured heart rate variability for five minutes before the music or silence started, for ten minutes during the music/silence, and for five minutes after it ended. They also assessed anxiety levels before and after each session using the Goldberg Anxiety Scale.

The findings revealed that heart rate variability increased during the yoga music session, decreased during the pop music session, and did not significantly change during the silence.

T5his suggests that listening to yoga music reduces anxiety levels. Conversely, anxiety levels increased significantly after listening to pop music and increased slightly after the no music session. The volunteers also provided positive feedback about the yoga music.

Dr. Sen, the lead researcher, emphasized that holistic therapies like music cannot replace evidence-based drugs and interventions but should be used as complementary approaches.

He stated, “Science may not always have agreed, but Indians have long believed in the power of various therapies, other than medications, as a mode of treatment for ailments. This is a small study, and more research is needed on the cardiovascular effects of music interventions offered by trained music therapists. However, listening to soothing music before bedtime is a cost-effective and easily implementable therapy that carries no harm.”