What Kind of Music Is Best For Your Brain?

Everyone loves music and has their own thoughts and preferences towards specific genres, but when it comes to mental health topics, specific types might be more appropriate than others, depending on what your goals are. This article will share some of the most popular types of music based on their purpose so that you might be able to enjoy and appreciate them more than ever.

Attention & Focus

Concentration and attention to detail are very important for countless tasks, such as you’re studying for an exam, cooking in the kitchen, or designing a work of art, and music can help you relax and get in the zone.

Classical music is usually people’s top choice when it comes to this because it usually has a very calming effect on the mind regardless of the tempo, and in turn, this decreases cortisol production and your heart rate and blood pressure. By reducing things like stress and anxiety, you focus better and even have better memory retention, which is why it’s often the go-to music for studying or trying to be creative.

However, if you’re looking for something more modern, lo-fi hip-hop beats can help you chill and have similar effects on the mind and body.

Mood & Energy

Music can be an amazing tool to help us relax, but there will be plenty of times where you might want something to pick you up and make you feel motivated, especially when exercising or during social gatherings.

There are tons of music that can help you feel good in this regard – rock, heavy metal, pop, and dance music are just a few of the most popular ones that people enjoy, and chances are you already have some artists lined up that work for you.

The reason why these types of genres work so well is because they often have high tempos that arouse the brain. The compositions and types of instruments used can also be important contributing factors as well.

Sleep

Getting enough sleep is crucial if you want your mind to function at its fullest, and while there are tons of people who prefer silence, having something in the background can be very helpful in distracting your mind and help you wind down after a stressful day.

A lot of classical music can also be excellent for trying to sleep provided that the tempo is slow enough, but a lot of people also love to listen to ambient music as well for this purpose. As long as the tempo is slow and the rhythm isn’t complex, it should help you relax.

Alternatively, ambient noises can also be a good option, such as natural ones like raindrops or the humming frequencies of white noise, which is why people not only enjoy sleeping with their fans on because it keeps them cool, but because it provides a calming noise that helps them sleep.

However, if you struggle with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health condition that keeps you awake at night, counseling and therapy can also be helpful, and BetterHelp is an easy way to get assistance with these issues.

Here, you can learn coping and relaxation techniques that you can use anytime to help reduce symptoms and overcome these chronic disorders so that you improve your cognitive abilities and your mood alongside the benefits of listening to music.

Conclusion

The uses of music are almost as diverse as the genres within it, and hopefully, you’ve learned a thing or two about how it can be a valuable tool for your mental health and wellbeing. By incorporating it into your life aside from casual listening, you can take advantage of its ability to help you think clearer and raise your spirits and develop a newfound appreciation of what music can do for you.

Marie Miguel Biography

Marie Miguel has been a writing and research expert for nearly a decade, covering a variety of health- related topics. Currently, she is contributing to the expansion and growth of a free online mental health resource with BetterHelp.com. With an interest and dedication to addressing stigmas associated with mental health, she continues to specifically target subjects related to anxiety and depression.