Christmas music ALL YEAR!

Listening to Christmas music can benefit you in different ways. A benefit of listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving is that you get to have the “Christmas spirit” for a longer period of time, and it may remind you of happy memories from Christmas past. Holiday music can decrease stress levels, and can even reduce pain. Your blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol levels can all be decreased—therefore reducing stress—when you settle back and enjoy your favorite music. Music therapy has been used to treat people with chronic pain, and in one study, patients who listened to music in recovery after surgery needed less morphine to manage their pain. Active listening is key, as focusing on music engages your mind and allows less room for pain pathways in your brain. And because holiday music can help relieve stress, it also helps relieve muscle tension that leads to pain. Not only can holiday music make you healthier, but it puts you in the holiday spirit and brings people together. So get together with your loved ones and put on your favorite classic albums!