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Music Therapy: A Promising Approach to Cardiovascular Health

A man sitting listening to music

After having a heart attack, it's common to make lifestyle changes: get more exercise, give up certain foods and throw away cigarettes. These lifestyle behaviors can lower your risk of another heart attack.

But you’ll probably experience chest pains following a heart attack – also known as early post-infarction angina. Chest pain is typically treated with medications such as nitrates, aspirin, blood thinners, beta blockers, statins, calcium channel blockers, blood pressure drugs and angina-reducing medication.  

However, a groundbreaking study was presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session. Together with the World Congress of Cardiology, they found that listening to 30 minutes of music a day can significantly reduce pain and anxiety in post-infarction angina patients.

Since then, additional studies have shown how music therapy benefits heart health. Here’s how.  

Music and the Nervous System

Researchers credit music with releasing endorphins, helping control the autonomic nervous system, ultimately lowering heart rate and blood pressure, according to a study published in Heart. This helps ease the sympathetic nervous system – the part of the autonomic nervous system that controls our fight-or-flight response, which can wreak havoc on the cardiovascular system. Stress is notorious for raising blood pressure, increasing cardiac workload and raising the risk of heart attack and stroke.  

Music also helps regulate endothelial function (cells that line the inside of blood vessels), helping maintain blood flow and vascular tone, possibly by triggering the release of nitric oxide, a key regulator of vascular tone, according to a study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.  

A study published in Cureus found that music tempo makes a difference. For example, the slow beat of classical music reduces heart rate and blood pressure, while fast-tempo music can increase them. This is because music affects which hormones are released, i.e., slow music is associated with oxytocin and the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps relax you. Faster music triggers the stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine, activating the sympathetic nervous system, according to a study published in PLoS One.  


Music and Post-Infarction Angina Patients

Researchers from the University of Belgrade School of Medicine recruited 350 heart attack patients with early post-infarction angina. Half received standard treatment (medications such as nitrates, aspirin, blood thinners, beta blockers, statins, and blood pressure drugs), while the other half added daily music therapy sessions.

Patients in the music therapy group were tested to find which music genre they found most soothing. They listened to their selected music for 30 minutes each day while sitting, resting with their eyes closed, and kept a diary. Daily sessions continued for seven years, with follow-up assessments every three months initially and annually thereafter.

The results were impressive. Compared to standard treatment alone, the average music therapy participant experienced:

  • 33% less anxiety
  • 25% less angina
  • 18% reduction in heart failure
  • 23% lower subsequent heart attack rate
  • 20% lower need for coronary artery bypass graft surgery
  • 16% lower cardiac death rate


Music and Cardiac Rehabilitation

If you live with cardiovascular disease or are recovering from a heart attack or procedure, your doctor may prescribe cardiac rehabilitation, a personalized program of exercise and education. Music has become a well-known intervention in cardiac rehab, helping patients improve their rehabilitation tolerance, mood and adherence to their exercise program, compared to patients who didn’t incorporate music into their rehab, according to a study published in Nursing Forum.


Music and Other Cardiac Issues

A meta-analysis conducted by Temple University researchers found that when coronary heart disease patients listened to music, their stress levels, heart rate and blood pressure dropped. Music therapy also alleviates depression, anxiety and poor sleep quality among heart failure patients, according to a study published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure.      

Dutch researchers used music therapy for post-cardiac surgery patients, and it diminished anxiety and pain, reduced the need for analgesics and alleviated the adverse effects of opioid pain relievers that can cause falls, according to a study published in Open Heart.  

A study presented at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting – ACC Latin America 2025, found that music therapy can significantly lower heart rate, blood pressure and patient–ventilator asynchronies (i.e., a mismatch in flow, volume and pressure demands between a patient and a ventilator) among patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit.    

Take Home Message

Whether or not you have cardiovascular disease, make a point to spend 30 minutes each day relaxing, listening to about 30 minutes of relaxing music. Incorporating music into cardiovascular health has unveiled a realm of novel opportunities, holding the promise of remarkable advancements in the foreseeable future. You should also talk to your doctor about a heart-healthy lifestyle, which includes stress management.  

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