One's favourite music combined with exercise training strengthens heart and also helps recover from heart ailments, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Nis, Serbia. They also found that instrumental music is more effective because words can sometimes emotionally upset people.
Researchers discovered that while a person listens to their favourite music, endorphins are released in the brain that helps improve heart health.
"In the setting of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease the endothelium loses its normal function," Professor Deljanin Ilic said. "Since endothelium derived nitric oxide is necessary to maintain an adequate vascular response, correction of endothelial dysfunction has become a goal of therapy.
"Exercise training has been shown to improve endothelial function and is the cornerstone of a multifaceted program of cardiovascular rehabilitation. However, little is known about the role of music in cardiovascular rehabilitation or the effects of listening to favorite music on endothelial function,"
The research was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2013 in Amsterdam.
The scientists arrived at the conclusion after studying 74 people with heart disease. They were divided into three groups.
The first group was instructed to attend exercise classes for three weeks, second one was told to go for exercise classes and listen to their favourite music for 30 minutes every day, and the third group was only asked to listen to music.
At the end of the study period, researchers found that the second group showed tremendous improvement in heart function and their exercise capacity increased by an average of 39 percent, the exercise capacity in the first group increased by 29 per cent and the last or the third group's exercise capacity increased by 19 per cent.
"The combination of music and exercise training led to the most improvement in [heart] function. Improvements in [heart] function were associated with significant improvements in exercise capacity,' Lead researcher, Professor Deljanin Ilic said.
"Listening to favourite music alone and in addition to regular exercise training improves [heart] function and therefore may be an adjunct method in the rehabilitation of patients with CAD [coronary artery disease]. There is not an "ideal" music for everybody and patients should choose music which increases positive emotions and makes them happy or relaxed," Ilic said.
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