Music instead of pills: how songs help relieve pain

This is evidenced by new scientific research, in which experts studied the influence of music on the perception of pain.

According to Medicalxpress, listening to favourite tunes can reduce pain after surgery and in chronic diseases.

An example of this is nurse practitioner Rod Salasay at UC San Diego Health.

In addition to medications, he uses a guitar and ukulele. In the post-operative ward, he performs songs requested by patients, from folk tunes to classics and favourite movie tunes. The result is smiles, relaxation and even a reduced need for painkillers.

Salasay says music helps break the cycle of anxiety, pain and stress that often accompanies a hospital stay. And he's not alone: over the past 20 years, music therapy has been increasingly used in healthcare settings around the world.

Studies show that music can reduce the perception of pain and even increase its threshold. This is particularly effective when patients choose their own songs and listen to them attentively. The effect is enhanced if the music activates emotions, memories and evokes positive associations.

"Pain is not only a physical sensation, but also an emotional reaction to it," explains psychologist Adam Hanley from the University of Florida. That's why pain perception can vary greatly from person to person - or from one person to another on different days.

Music helps distract you from the pain sensations, but, as scientists note, it does so much more effectively than, for example, podcasts. This is because listening to your favourite songs activates different parts of the brain, including areas responsible for emotion, memory and pleasure.

A study from Erasmus University in Rotterdam confirmed: the more the participants in the experiment liked the music genre, the longer they withstood cold pain stimuli. Surprisingly, classical music did not have a universal effect - it all depends on personal preference.

Choice plays a key role: it gives the patient a sense of control, especially important in chronic illness. A study from Trinity College Dublin confirms this: patients who were allowed to choose their own music were able to tolerate pain more easily.

"Music provides emotional stimulus, distraction, diversion and help to switch and cope with pain - without side effects," Hanley emphasises.