The effect of music on hypertensive patients

The aim of this study is to examine if, and to what extent, daily listening to a certain type of music can help hypertensive patients lower their blood pressure (BP). Experiments were conducted at an elderly home. Thirty subjects aged 63-93 years participated in the study and were randomly assigned into either a music group (n=15) or a control group (n=15). There were no significant differences between the two groups in initial BP values, age, gender, or medication status. Subjects in the music group listened to selected music, 25 min every day for 4 weeks. BP was measured twice a week by a registered nurse with a sphygmomanometer during the 4-week study period and after the completion of the study. Four subjects dropped from the experiment due to a change of medical conditions or to personal reasons. After 4 weeks, the average decrease for the music group (n=12) in systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) was 11.8 mmHg (p=0.008) and 4.7 mmHg (p=0.218), respectively, whereas there was no significant changes in SBP or DBP for the control group (n=14). The results suggest that listening to a certain type of music serves to reduce high SBP and therefore music therapy may be an alterative for hypertension treatment.