Many side effects can occur during menopause. Music therapy would relieve some of these disorders, especially depression. Explanations.
The side effects of menopause are numerous: sleep disturbances, pain in the joints, hot flashes, depression… Although not all women are affected in the same way, and at different intensities, it is rare not to be affected. . In case of disorders too heavy to bear, hormonal treatments already exist. But as our colleagues from Why Doctor report, scientists are also working on non-drug methods. According to a study published in the journal Menopause, from the North American Menopause Society, music might be a solution.
A hormonal variation
Among the 50 postmenopausal women recruited, half of the group listened to music for 30 minutes regularly, while the rest of the participants formed the control group. The results clearly show that music can significantly reduce levels of depression and help reduce symptoms of menopause in women.
Concretely speaking, music stimulates the secretion of certain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, endorphins or the hormone oxytocin, while decreasing the level of stress hormones such as cortisol. However, these substances play an essential role in blood pressure and in heart and respiratory rates.
“This small study highlights the potential beneficial effect of an easily implemented, low-cost, low-tech, and low-risk intervention such as music therapy for menopausal symptoms, particularly symptoms of mood”, summarized Doctor Stephanie Faubion, medical director of NAMS.
Previous studies have already shown that music therapy helps reduce depressive symptoms in patients with severe psychotic and non-psychotic mental disorders.
