Five ways that music really can transform your life

It’s not unthinkable that we’ll get to a point where doctors prescribe different kinds of music for a variety of conditions In one study, volunteers listening to instrumental, beat-driven tracks experienced more deep sleep ANYONE who’s ever been dumped by a boyfriend then sat in their teenage bedroom playing I Will Survive at full blast can attest to the healing power of music. But research is taking music’s curative properties to whole new levels – you can now buy tracks specifically designed to help you concentrate, sleep, even soothe a headache or control chronic pain. "We are only just beginning to tap into the vast therapeutic power of music, which research shows causes more areas of the brain to light up [when scanned] than any other activity," says Lyz Cooper, founder of The British Academy of Sound Therapy. Research is ongoing, but we know that different frequencies of music tell the brain to do certain things. For example, a high-frequency sound, such as an alarm or scream, will trigger the release of adrenaline, the hormone that prepares you for action. "A low-pitched sound, like a deep voice or bass drum, relaxes you," adds Cooper. "That’s because our brain detects a lower frequency as a slower sound wave, which can actually slow down the brain itself." "There’s a phenomenal surge of research into this at the moment, although we don’t yet know exactly which frequency has what effect, so it pays to be wary of some of the wilder claims," says Cooper, who is also a therapeutic music researcher and author of What Is Sound Healing? (Watkins, £7.99). However, it’s not unthinkable that we’ll get to a point where doctors prescribe different kinds of music for a variety of conditions and we’ll have playlists for every ailment or mood. "I […]

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