How To Ease Menopause Symptoms? Listen To Music, Says Study

We, women, have to deal with all kinds of health issues all our lives. From periods to menopause, everything is just as painful. To me, menopause sounds like a blessing because it gives me freedom from periods but the fact is that, it’s not that simple. Apart from irregular periods, menopause can cause hot flashes, chills, night sweats, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, anxiety, headache, urination problems, reduced muscle mass, joint pain or stiffness, reduced bone mass, among other symptoms which usually last for a long time (I’m talking years). Managing these symptoms can be really difficult but a new study has revealed that music can have a positive impact on menopause-related symptoms.

A new study published in the journal ‘Menopause’ suggests that music therapy is not only effective treatment for menopause symptoms but also depression and mood swings. The effect of music on menopause symptoms has not been studied in depth. Most research and studies focus on things like cognitive-behaviour therapies, meditation, mindfulness and hypnosis as alternative treatments. But at the same time, it’s important to understand that the fact that music has healing effects is not a new concept. For time immemorial, music has been believed to heal our bodies and souls. I mean we all listen to music when we’re sad and doesn’t it always kind of help? Music is like therapy because it is known to stimulate the secretion of happy hormones like dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, oxytocin and such. It also reduces our stress levels and lowers are our blood pressure.

This study was carried out between July 2019 and December 2020. A total of 48 women in the postmenopausal stage were a part of this study. Out of the total, 21 women were assigned to music therapy while the remaining 27 were put in the control group. The women in the music group were made to listen to music played by the researcher over the course of 18 sessions held in six weeks. The finding of this study revealed that listening to music not only reduced menopause symptoms in women but also decreased depression. The women in music therapy saw an improvement in their menopause symptoms as compared to the women in the control group. After examining their findings, the researchers suggested that music could be considered as a nonpharmacological treatment for menopause symptoms.

Also Read: Studies Suggest A Lot Of Women In Menopause Use Cannabis To Relieve Painful Symptoms. What A Dope Solution!

“This small study highlights the potential beneficial effect of an easy-to-implement, low-cost, low-tech, and low-risk intervention such as music therapy for menopause symptoms, particularly mood symptoms. Although additional research is needed to confirm these findings in larger study populations, there is little downside to adding music therapy to our armamentarium for menopause symptom management, ” said the medical director of the North American Menopause Society, Dr Stephanie Faubion, as per the media reports.

Guess, music really does help. I’m thinking I should include some music therapy in my daily routine, what about you? Let us know in the comments below.

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