FEATURE:
Music Is Our Radar
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Mental Health Awareness Week 2020
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THIS week is an important one…
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as it is Mental Health Awareness Week. Hosted by the Mental Health Foundation, Mental Health Awareness Week takes place from 18th-24th May, 2020. The theme is kindness. I think spreading kindness is important now more than ever, as many of us are seeing our mental-health take a bit of a battering. I think that things will improve when we are out, but things are quite strained right now. This week, more than ever, I think music is going to play a huge role. It is known that music and happiness are linked.
“Music can lift the spirits. But science has now shown it has a physical effect on our bodies, too. As we listen, music works on the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and heartbeat, as well as the limbic system, which is responsible for feelings and emotions. A review of 23 studies by Bradt & Dileo (in 2009) involving almost 1,500 people found music helped to reduce blood pressure, heart rate and anxiety in heart disease patients.
Music can benefit psychological wellbeing, too. Research from the University of Missouri published in The Journal Of Positive Psychology found for the first time, that upbeat music can have a very positive effect on our wellbeing.
‘People were successful at raising their positive mood as long as the music they listened to was happy and upbeat,’ said Dr Yuna Ferguson, the lead author.
And participating in music-making can also increase our happiness, and help us to get on better with others. A 2013 Finnish study of 1,000 pupils who took singing classes found they reported higher satisfaction at school in almost every area.
Lead researcher Päivi-Sisko Eerola said ‘synchronising’ with each other may ‘even make people like each other more than before’”.
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Although we can exercise outside as much as we need, we are not able to go to the gym, but the fact that the weather is brighter and warmer means that many of us are listening to music whilst walking and running. I think that, for many of us, music is playing a bigger role than it did pre-lockdown. Not only are there streamed gigs and album listening parties; I think we are all streaming more and using music as a bit of a lifeline. The power of music is different to everyone but, for me, I have been listening back to favourite tracks to get a nostalgia boost and blast of warmth. I also digging out new artists and digging deeper than I have ever done. Maybe the tangible benefits of live gigs are not going to be felt for quite a few months, but we are able to connect with one another online and share music. Recent statistics relating to the effect and prolificacy of mental illness makes for alarming reading:
Mental health problems are one of the main causes of the overall disease burden worldwide.1
Mental health and behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety and drug use) are reported to be the primary drivers of disability worldwide, causing over 40 million years of disability in 20 to 29-year-olds.2
Major depression is thought to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the burden of suicide and ischemic heart disease.3
It is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week experienced a common mental health problem4
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Vos, T., et al. (2013) Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 301 acute and chronic diseases and injuries in 188 countries, 1990–2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet. 386 (9995). pp. 743-800.
Lozano, R. et al. (2012) Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010. a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. The Lancet. 380(9859), pp. 2095–2128.
Whiteford, H. A. et al. (2013) Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet. 382 (9904). pp. 1575-1586.
McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital. Available at: http://content.digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB21748/apms-2014-full-rpt.pdf [Accesed 5 October 2016]
I am not sure how much worse lockdown has made the plight of mental illness, but I think it is brilliant how we are all together and, even though times are bad, we are able to communicate, share music and still access so many brilliant tracks and albums. I want to keep this fairly short but, really, this feature is for everyone. There will be those who are using music as a shelter and balm, whereas others are finding it compatible with exercise and good physical health.
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For me, I think music can provide inspiration and a sense of hope. It is important to know that we are not alone; this is especially true in the world of music. An article that was published/updated last year showed the multiple benefits of music on mental health and memory:
“It has long been suggested that music can help reduce or manage stress. Consider the trend centered on meditative music created to soothe the mind and inducing relaxation. Fortunately, this is one trend supported by research. Listening to music can be an effective way to cope with stress.
In one 2013 study, participants took part in one of three conditions before being exposed to a stressor and then taking a psychosocial stress test. Some participants listened to relaxing music, others listened to the sound of rippling water, and the rest received no auditory stimulation.
The results suggested that listening to music had an impact on the human stress response, particularly the autonomic nervous system. Those who had listened to music tended to recover more quickly following a stressor.
One of the most surprising psychological benefits of music is that it might be a helpful weight-loss tool. If you are trying to lose weight, listening to mellow music and dimming the lights might help you achieve your goals.
According to one study, people who ate at low-lit restaurants where soft music was played consumed 18 percent less food than those who ate in other restaurants.
The researchers suggest that music and lighting help create a more relaxed setting. Since the participants were more relaxed and comfortable, they may have consumed their food more slowly and have been more aware of when they began to feel full.
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Insomnia is a serious problem that affects people of all age groups. While there are many approaches to treating this problem as well as other common sleep disorders, research has demonstrated that listening to relaxing classical music can be a safe, effective, and affordable remedy.
In a study looking at college students, participants listened to classical music, an audiobook, or nothing at all. One group listened to 45 minutes of relaxing classical music while another group listened to an audiobook at bedtime for three weeks. Researchers assessed sleep quality both before and after the intervention.
The study found that participants who had listened to music had significantly better sleep quality than those who had listened to the audiobook or received no intervention.
Another important psychological benefit of music lies in its ability to boost performance. While people have a preferred step frequency when walking and running, scientists have discovered that the addition of a strong, rhythmic beat, such as fast-paced musical track, could inspire people to pick up the pace. Runners are not only able to run faster while listening to music; they also feel more motivated to stick with it and display greater endurance.
According to researcher Costas Karageorghis of Brunel University, the ideal tempo for workout music is somewhere between 125 and 140 beats per minute.
While research has found that synchronizing body movements to music can lead to better performance and increased stamina, the effect tends to be the most pronounced in cases of low to moderate intensity exercise. In other words, the average person is more likely to reap the rewards of listening to music more than a professional athlete might”
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There are so many ways music can help us at the moment, but I felt it was important to write a feature during Mental Health Awareness Week, as there will be many people out there struggling. Music is not a magical cure, but I feel there are numerous benefits regarding listening to more music and trying to connect with people online through music. Whether you are listening to radio, checking out a great music podcast, or watching a streamed gig, having that sense of company and companionship is very valuable and powerful. If you do need to talk to someone if your mental-health declines, The Samaritans are available on 116 123 twenty-four hours a day. It is important that we take care of ourselves but, over the past couple of months, music has been this bedrock and endless source of uplift for many people. From uplifting playlists on Spotify to online record stores where you can order albums, make sure this week is one fore improving mental-health through music. For me and so many people in the world, music is having a positive effect on our mental-health, and it also…
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MEANS lockdown is easier to bear.