Benefits of music on stress after surgery
Researchers at Orebro University Hospital, in Sweden, evaluated the effect of bed rest + music on the first day after surgery in order to decrease stress.
First, the details.
- 58 patients who underwent open coronary artery bypass grafting or aortic valve replacement surgery were studied.
- Stress response was assessed by measuring the following parameters.
- Cortisol blood levels
- Heart and respiratory rate
- Blood pressure
- Arterial oxygen tension (PaO2, amount of oxygen in the arterial blood)
- Arterial oxygen saturation (below 90% causes hypoxemia)
- Subjective pain and anxiety levels.
- At noon on day 1 after surgery, patients were assigned to a treatment group.
- 30 minutes of uninterrupted bed rest + music and then 30 minutes of bed rest
- 60 minutes of uninterrupted bed rest.
- The music was soft and relaxing, included different melodies in new-age style, played with a volume at 50 to 60 dB, and distributed through a music pillow connected to an MP3 player.
And, the results.
- After 30 minutes of bed rest, there were significantly lower cortisol levels in the bed rest + music group vs the bed rest only group.
- However, this difference in cortisol levels was short-lived and not present 30 minutes later.
- There was no difference in the other parameters.
The bottom line?
The authors concluded, “There is sufficient practical evidence of stress reduction to suggest that a proposed regimen of listening to music while resting in bed after open heart surgery be put into clinical use.”
The study is important because it documents a well-defined, short-lived response to music under well-defined circumstances — during the first day after heart surgery
The results also support an earlier study summarized here.
9/30/10 20:30 JR