How Music You Love Supports a Heart-Healthy Life:
There’s something magical about music—it lifts your spirits, calms your nerves, and can even help your heart. While we often talk about food, exercise, and sleep in the heart-health world, music deserves a spotlight too. It’s not just good for the soul—it’s good for your cardiovascular system!
Whether it’s a favorite morning jam or a soothing nighttime melody, the music you love can play a big role in managing stress, boosting mood, and improving overall heart health.
Start Your Day with Upbeat Music to Get You Moving
Mornings can be tough—but the right music can change everything. Listening to upbeat music first thing in the morning not only lifts your mood but can actually encourage physical movement, even if it’s just dancing around the kitchen while making coffee. Research from the American Heart Association shows that joyful movement, even in short bursts, supports cardiovascular health by improving circulation and reducing stress.
Benefits of Upbeat Music:
- Increases energy and motivation
- Encourages physical activity
- Boosts dopamine and serotonin (feel-good chemicals)
- Reduces stress and helps regulate heart rate
Upbeat Morning Playlist
Whether you’re walking, stretching, or just waking up, try some feel-good songs to get the blood flowing. Find some upbeat music that makes you feel like moving your body, tapping your feet, bopping your head, and makes you feel happy. Whether it’s old rock and roll or new pop music, it’s all about what makes YOU feel happy!
Pick-Me-Up in the Middle of the Day
Sometimes during the day we start to wind down too early and need a boost. How about instead of reaching for coffee, try a little music and dancing instead. Get some water to stay hydrated and then get you groove moving! You’ll boost your energy and your mood which turns out to be good for your heart.
Wind Down with Intention: Music to Soothe the Soul Before Bed
Just like a good beat can get you going, calming music can help you slow down. Nighttime is when your body and heart need to reset, and creating a peaceful bedtime ritual can make a real difference.
According to The Sleep Foundation, calming music has been shown to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone), slow your heart rate, and promote deeper sleep. And if you’re someone who struggles with screen time before bed, switching to music is a beautiful, screen-free way to wind down.
Benefits of Soothing Music at Night:
- Lowers blood pressure and heart rate
- Promotes melatonin production
- Helps improve sleep quality
- Reduces anxiety and racing thoughts
Wind-Down Playlist
Find you favorite calming songs and sounds. Calming sounds are perfect for easing into sleep or creating a calm evening vibe. But think more than songs. There are other options:
Instrumental Wind-Down Playlist:
- Ambient piano or cello playlists
- Soft classical
- soft background music or slow ambient loops
- Tibetan singing bowls or Indian flutes
Nature Sounds Playlist:
- Gentle rain
- Ocean waves
- Wind in the trees
- Crackling fireplace
- Birdsong at dawn
If you have Amazon Prime Music, you have access to many kinds of music, sounds and music channels. You can create your own playlist from all your favorites, too. You can also find meditation apps with programs to help with calm noise and relaxation.
Music and Heart Health: Why It Works
Listening to music you love isn’t just a feel-good moment—it has measurable effects on your body:
- Lower blood pressure: Calm music has been shown in studies to help reduce blood pressure and heart rate.
- Improved heart rate variability: A marker of heart health that responds to soothing rhythms.
- Reduced anxiety and stress: Music can calm the nervous system and reduce inflammation, which are both key in heart health.
- Better sleep: Especially when music replaces screen time before bed.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, music therapy is increasingly being used in cardiac rehab settings, and even 30 minutes a day of listening to calming music has benefits for people with heart disease.
Just Remember to Make It Personal
The best music for your heart is the music that resonates with you.
Whether you’re into classical, country, jazz, indie, or lo-fi beats—if it makes you smile or helps you exhale a little deeper, you’re on the right track.
So, tomorrow morning, press play on something that lifts your spirits. And tonight, wind down with sounds that soothe your soul. Your heart will thank you—beat by beat.
