At rest, the average heart rate is 72 to 80 beats per minute. By comparison, the range of music tempo extends from 70 to 170 beats per minute. Research has shown that heart rate will moderately follow the beat of music. According to Dr. Peter Sleight of the University of Oxford, music can also alleviate stress, improve athletic performance and even improve movement in neurologically impaired patients with stroke or Parkinson's disease.
Effects
A study by British and Italian researchers, which was published in 2005 in the journal "Heart," demonstrated that the experience of listening to passive music with a slow or meditative tempo had a relaxing effect on people, slowing breathing and heart rate, while the experience of listening to fast music with a more upbeat tempo sped up respiration and heart rate. Mood, blood pressure and activity level have also been known to change. The effects of the study were most clear in people that had been formally or informally trained in music, because they had learned to synchronize their breathing with the musical segments. This suggests that music had a greater impact upon those with a better understanding of the beat.
Cause
The effect that music has upon people is believed by the researchers to be related with their emotional state. The speculation is that music may give pleasure, and perhaps even health benefits, by inducing a controlled alteration between arousal and relaxation. The way in which people hear and respond to the rhythm of music is an element that evokes many different emotional states within humans.
Considerations
A study published in the journal "Lecture Notes in Computer Science" in 2007 measured the experiences of older participants in response to emotionally negative, neutral and positive musical clips. The results demonstrated that the heart rate response to negative emotional experiences differed significantly from responses to neutral stimuli. This also has suggested that certain responses can be evoked during things like therapeutic sessions.
Physical State
There is a balanced relationship between your emotional state and the physical state of your body. Settling into a relaxed, meditative state, for example, slows the heart rate and ultimately the amount of oxygen that is transported to the cells. That is because the cells require less energy to function during these moments. On the other hand, a heightened and alert emotional state speeds up the heart rate and transports more oxygen to the cells for the purpose of energy production.
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