Nurse Rod Saraisei uses all kinds of equipment in the hospital, including thermometers, stethoscopes, and sometimes guitars and ukuleles.
Saraisei helps patients manage their health in UC San Diego’s recovery unit Pain after surgery. along with medicine he provides Adjust songs according to your request And sometimes I sing. His repertoire ranges from folk songs in English and Spanish to minuet in G major and movie favorites like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
Patients often smile or nod. Saraisei also sees changes in vital signs, such as a drop in heart rate and blood pressure, and some people may want to reduce the amount of painkillers they take.
“There is often a cycle of worry, pain and anxiety in the hospital, but music can help break that cycle,” he said.
Salaysay may be a one-man band, but he’s not alone. Over the past two decades, live performances and recorded music have entered hospitals and clinics as research into how singing relieves pain increases.
Scientists investigate how music affects pain perception
of healing power The content of the songs may seem intuitive, given that music is deeply rooted in human culture. But the science about whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain (technically called music-induced analgesia) is just catching up.
No one suggests that a catchy song can completely eliminate serious pain. However, some recent studies, including those published in the journal pain and scientific reportsuggested that listening to music may reduce pain perception or increase the ability to tolerate pain.
The most important thing is that patients, or their families, choose their own music and listen to it intently, not just as background noise.
How music affects pain levels
“Pain is a really complex experience,” says psychologist Adam Hanley of Florida State University. “It is produced by physical sensations, our thoughts about those sensations, and our emotional responses to them.”
Two people with the same condition or injury can have very different levels of acute or chronic pain. Alternatively, the same person may experience pain differently from day to day.
Acute pain is felt when pain receptors in certain parts of the body send signals to the brain, such as your hand touching a hot stove, and the brain processes short-term pain. Chronic pain typically involves long-term structural or other changes in the brain that increase overall sensitivity to pain signals. Researchers are still investigating how this happens.
Signals can go up and down because “pain is interpreted and translated by the brain,” said Dr. Gilbert Chandler, a chronic spine pain expert at Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic.
Researchers know that music can distract from pain and soothe sensations. However, research also suggests that listening to your favorite music may be more effective for dull pain than listening to podcasts.
“Music is a distraction. It takes your focus away from the pain. But it does more than that,” says McGill University psychologist Caroline Palmer, who studies music and pain.
Scientists are still tracking the different neural pathways at work, Palmer said.
“We know that engaging with music activates almost every part of your brain,” said Kate Richards Geller, a registered music therapist in Los Angeles. “It changes the perception and experience of pain, and the isolation and anxiety around pain.”
Music genres and active listening
The idea of using recorded music to alleviate pain associated with dental surgery began in the late 19th century, before local anesthetics were available. Researchers are currently studying the conditions that make music most effective.
Researchers at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands surveyed 548 participants to find out how five sounds sounded to them. music genre Classical, rock, pop, urban, electronic, etc. Improved ability to tolerate acute pain measured by exposure to very low temperatures.
All the music helped, but there was no single winning genre.
“The more people listen to their favorite genre, the more they can tolerate the pain,” says co-author Dr. Emmy van der Valk Bowman. “Many people thought classical music would help them more. In fact, we’re finding more evidence that the music you like is best.”
The exact reason is still unknown, but it may be because familiar songs activate more memories and emotions, she says.
“The simple act of making a choice is powerful in itself,” said Claire Howlin, director of the Music and Health Psychology Laboratory at Trinity College Dublin, and co-author of a study suggesting that: Allow the patient to choose a song Increased pain tolerance.
“When you have a chronic illness, that’s one thing people can control. It gives them agency,” she said.
It seems important to actively listen and concentrate.
Hanley, the Florida state psychologist, co-authored preliminary research suggesting that: daily listening May reduce chronic pain.
“Music has the effect of lighting up different parts of the brain, giving people a bump of positive emotion that takes their mind off the pain,” he said.
Some doctors say this is a simple prescription with no side effects.
Jazz singer Cecily Gardner of Culver City, Calif., said she used music to help her overcome a serious illness and has been singing to friends battling pain.
“Music reduces stress, fosters community, and transports you to a better place,” she said.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. AP is solely responsible for all content.
