It’s no surprise that listening to your favorite music can instantly improve your mood, but research now suggests that music can also improve your surgical experience. According to new study, the soothing power of music may help to reduce anxiety for patients undergoing reconstructive surgery.

Researchers led by Dr. Hazim Sadideen at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford analyzed data from 96 patients undergoing emergency as well as planned reconstructive surgery requiring only local anesthetic, meaning they were conscious during the surgical process.

The study participants were split up into two groups. The first group listened to music during their operation, while the second group underwent surgery in a typical operating environment. During surgery, patient anxiety levels were measured based on self-reported anxiety and respiratory rates. Both measurements were taken immediately before and after surgery, while the patient was still lying on the operating table.

The results, which were recently published in the Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons, revealed that patients who listened to music during surgery experienced nearly 29% less self-reported anxiety than those who did not listen to music. Additionally, those listening to music also had an average of 11 breaths per minute verses 13 breaths for the second group.

While the results of this study are promising, Sadideen indicates that more research is needed to truly establish a correlation between music and reduced anxiety levels for these patients. And furthermore to establish any potential healing benefits that may result from reduced patient anxiety levels.

“This small scale work is the first time an attempt has been made to measure the impact music has in this specific group of patients and hints at the need for bigger multi-centre research to establish whether this should become part of standard practice.”

Learn more about reconstructive surgery in Guilford, CT.

Source: The Independent