LiveLongAgeWell

Considering our current economic times, I will continue to regularly blog about research and ideas that hopefully will help us cope better. Previously I’ve addressed topics such as deep breathing, omega-3 supplements, and eating more fish (you are trying to eat more fish, aren’t you?)… as ways of cooling off our body’s stress response. Often we can’t control our outside stresses, but we can control how our body responds to those stresses, and that’s a big help.

This week at the American Heart Association’s meeting in New Orleans, a preventive cardiologist Dr. Michael Miller presented research showing how blood vessels respond differently to music we like, versus music that makes us feel anxious. Dr. Miller previously showed that laughter was good for the heart, since it seemed to relax our blood vessels and thus allow better blood flow. In the current study he found that when a group of volunteers were exposed to music they really liked, even their blood vessels relaxed, resulting in a 26% better blood flow. In contrast, music that made the test subjects feel anxious temporarily dropped their blood flow by 6%.

While Dr. Miller measured blood flow only in the arm, it’s likely that pleasant music would cause increased blood flow throughout the body, an effect that is good for the heart. (The opposite of what occurs in a person with high blood pressure where the vessels tend to be constricted and tight—not a heart-healthy process.) Dr. Miller didn’t discover the mechanism that made music open up vessels, but he suspects it has to do with the release of endorphins, chemicals released from deep in the brain which result in feelings of well-being.

One of the best ways to keep your brain functioning well as you get older is to frequently challenge it with new ideas, new activities….and even new types of music; music you might not initially like, but with a flexible brain, you learn over time to actually enjoy. Dr. Miller’s research suggests to me though that in times of stress—particularly if you already have high blood pressure or heart disease—one healthy way to chill out is to pro-actively seek out music that is most relaxing for you, and allow your blood vessels to open up and relax too.

Remember this for example next time you go to the dentist for some uncomfortable work, or on an airplane if flying stresses you. Be assertive; protect your heart as well as your mind…bring your iPod and put on whatever you most like, from hip-hop or rap to classical or christian contemporary, and let the blood flow. Don’t be shy; the research supports you.