People who listen to their favourite music while exercising may push themselves further and feel as if they are exerting themselves less than people who prefer a tuneless workout, according to new research.
Dr Robert Herdegen and his co-author Jonathan Meeks of Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia also found that people who listened to music did not bring their heart rate back to its baseline level any faster after the workout ended than when they heard radio static or did not listen to music.
Distract or relax? A number of different studies have investigated the benefits of listening to music while exercising, which include increasing endurance and boosting mood, Herdegen said. Many researchers suspect the benefits of exercise stem from its ability to relax people, which might enable them to perform better.
However, Herdegen has another idea: perhaps music simply distracts people from their exertions. And if they don't think about how hard the workout is, they are less likely to experience the discomfort that might make them slow down or stop working out.
"You simply are distracted from the discomfort you may otherwise be experiencing," Herdegen said. "You're less likely to hold yourself back if you don't notice the discomfort."
As such, these results could benefit people in physical therapy, he noted, who might get the most out of a longer, tougher workout, but are daunted by how much exertion is involved.
The research study During the trial, 12 male college students rode an exercise bike as far and as fast as they could for 10 minutes. On one day, they rode with no music, on another they listened to music of their choice while riding and not while recuperating, and on another, they rode accompanied by the sound of radio static.
The investigators found that students travelled 11% further while listening to music than they did when they heard silence or noise, and also rated their levels of exertion while listening to music as the lowest of the three conditions. However, music listeners were no better able to recover their normal heart rates following exercise than when they listened to nothing or noise.
Music makes you happy
Herdegen noted that another possible explanation for the benefits of music on exercise could involve the effect of melody on mood. Most of the study participants listened to upbeat music, he added, which may have given them more of a positive outlook on their exertions. "If you're in a better mood, you're happier. Perhaps you're more likely to keep going," Herdegen said.
Although the study participants only engaged in short bouts of vigorous exercise, Herdegen said that previous evidence suggests that music can improve a person's ability to perform a number of different activities, and that its effects will persist even during long periods of exertion.
Are soothing sounds better? But why didn't exercise influence time to recover a normal heart rate? A subsequent experiment by the researchers found that students who listened to music during recovery did not reduce their heart rate faster than when they heard silence or noise. One reason, Herdegen suggested, is that students had opted for fast-tempo beats over slower, more relaxing music. "And perhaps a slower, quieter type of music would aid in the recovery process," he suggested. - (HealthScout News)
People who listen to their favourite music while exercising may push themselves further and feel as if they are exerting themselves less than people who prefer a tuneless workout, according to new research.
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