The Effect Of Music On Blood Pressure And Pulse Rate

Introduction Blood pressure is the force exerted on the blood vessels’ walls when blood passes through, while the pulse is the noticeable snapping back of the thick, elastic walls of an artery after blood surges through (Weedman 2014). Previous studies have shown that patients undergoing high stress situations had lower blood pressures and pulse rates after listening to relaxing music than before listening to music (Sutoo and Akiyama 2004; Knight and Rickard 2001). Research has shown that lower blood pressure and pulse rate correlates with lower anxiety (Baines 2007). This lead to studies which demonstrate that music lowers not only blood pressure and pulse rate, but also anxiety (Iwanaga et al. 2005). There are also a lot of inconsistencies among studies in this area, as some studies have found that music results in no significant change in pulse rate or blood pressure (Davis and Thaut 1989). …show more content…
The hypothesis was that blood pressure and pulse rate would be different during and after listening to music than before listening to music. This result would suggest that listening to music has an effect on blood pressure and pulse rate. The null hypothesis was that blood pressure and pulse rate would not be different during and after listening to music than before listening to music. This result would imply that listening to music has no effect on blood pressure and pulse rate. The determination of the effect of music on blood pressure and pulse rate is significant when considering the possible benefits of using music to assist in lowering anxiety or facilitating