Music believed to boost hypertension treatment

A study conducted at the São Paulo State University (Unesp) shows that music can intensify the effects of drugs against high blood pressure. Developed in partnership with the Juazeiro do Norte College, the ABC Medical School, and Oxford Brookes University, in the UK, the research found the association beneficial in 37 patients.

Those who participated in the research were observed for two days. On the first day, after taking medication, they listened to music for one hour. On the second, the medication was administered, but they only wore earphones with no melody. “W concluded that music intensified the beneficial effects of the hypertension medication on the heart on the short term,” said Vitor Engrácia Valenti, research coordinator and professor at the Unesp Speech-language Pathology Department.

Among the effects reported to have been brought about by music are a reduction in the heart rate and in the blood pressure.

Pop music

The patients were stimulated with instrumental music by pop singers Adele and Enya. “We chose these songs because they’re more popularly accepted,” Valenti noted.

The scientists have studied the effects of music on the heart since 2012. In previous experiments, classical music had been used.

“[Music works] on a nerve that stimulates the gastrointestinal system, causes vasodilation, and increases intestinal absorption in animals. It may also be the case that the music sped up the absorption of the medication by the bowels,” the coordinator said. 

In addition to optimizing the treatment for patients with heart disease and high blood pressure, Valenti believes that music may become an auxiliary method to prevent these illnesses in individuals more prone to developing them. “Music may be associated with drugs to further improve the health of patients, preventively even, when people face a higher risk of developing a cardiorespiratory disease,” he added.