Music for Postoperative Comfort
Dragos Condrea/Alamy
Listening to music post-surgery has shown to alleviate pain and anxiety in patients, potentially reducing the need for pain killers.
According to Eldo Frezza from California Northstate University College of Medicine, patients often experience anxiety and pain after waking from anesthesia following surgery.
Research has consistently demonstrated the calming effects of music, prompting Frezza and his team to investigate its impact after surgery.
Examining 35 studies, they observed how immediate music therapy post-surgery influenced pain levels, anxiety, heart rate, and painkiller usage.
The results indicated that music reduced pain by an average of 20%, with patients requiring significantly less morphine during their hospital stay compared to non-music listeners.
Furthermore, music lowered heart rates and self-reported anxiety levels, indicating its potential benefits in recovery.
According to Annie Heiderscheit from Anglia Ruskin University, music’s ability to elevate serotonin levels and distract from anxious thoughts makes it a cost-effective postoperative recovery tool.
Frezza advocates for larger studies to provide more robust evidence of music’s benefits in surgery recovery.
Overall, integrating music therapy could offer a simple and budget-friendly solution for enhancing post-surgery comfort.
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Vocabulary List:
- Alleviate /əˈliːviˌeɪt/ (verb): To make (suffering deficiency or a problem) less severe.
- Anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.ə.ti/ (noun): A feeling of worry nervousness or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.
- Morphine /ˈmɔːr.fiːn/ (noun): A potent drug used to relieve pain often used in medical settings.
- Serotonin /ˌsɛrəˈtoʊnɪn/ (noun): A neurotransmitter that contributes to feelings of well-being and happiness.
- Integration /ˌɪntɪˈɡreɪʃən/ (noun): The process of combining things to create a whole.
- Therapy /ˈθɛr.ə.pi/ (noun): The treatment of a physical or mental condition typically through non-invasive methods.
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