Music indeed has a high value in medical therapy. When listening to music, the electric wave listeners in the brain are slowed and accelerated in tune to the music changing performance of the body. Music also even affects heart rate and blood pressure.
This theory was proven in 200 patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) who use ventilator. When they played classical music, like Mozart’s piano sonatas or pleasant music, the patient breath slower and their anxiety is reduced.
Even researchers from the Cochrane Library that is doing this research said that music works better than drugs to calm these patients as long as they still helped with mechanical ventilation.
Mechanical ventilation used for breathing apparatus is usually known to cause various complications. For example, shortness of breath, sucking air, difficulty in speaking, fear and discomfort that usually causes anxiety in patients.
Music for ICU Patients Therapy
Although music has been proven to be beneficial, Dr. Wendy Magee, music therapists from London said that music therapy is not that simple. Doctors can not blindly choose the music. “Choosing the right music is important. You must know which one is beneficial for every individual,” she said.
Some types of music are actually very stimulating and will not make the patients relax. Instead it will increase their heart rate, such as heavy metal music.
Because music can stimulate the emotions, choosing music that is not appropriate for the patient will only add stress. That is why the music played should be tailored to individual tastes.
