Effects Of Invigorating And Relaxing Music On Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, And Heart Rate Variability
Keywords
Music; Heart-rate Variability; Heart rate; HRV; Blood pressure
Abstract
Heart-rate variability (HRV) has been documented to correlate with several health measures, including autonomic nervous system longevity and athletic performance (Zulfiqar, 2010). While increasing age does not affect heart rate, there is a steady decline in HRV, which is a biological marker of aging and the decline of autonomic nervous system function. Furthermore, men who exercise regularly tend to have increased HRV, suggesting a mitigation of the typical age-dependent loss of HRV (Kristal-Boneh et al., 1995). Previous studies have suggested that music may have a physiological effect (e.g., fluctuating vitals, emotional changes) on cardiovascular parameters. However, little is known about the quantitative measure of music’s influence on this association. The present study examines the effects of invigorating and relaxing music on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and heart-rate variability.HR and BP are well-known measures of physiological changes, and adding HRV may increase our understanding of the physiological changes induced by exposure to music. Participants completed an Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved protocol. Each subject chose music that they identified as having an invigorating or relaxing effect. The results suggest that self-identified relaxing music may modulate parasympathetic nervous system activity, lower systolic blood pressure, and reduce heart rate, while invigorating music appeared to have the opposite effects. Instantaneous heart changes showed a gradual increase in heart rate during invigorating music and a decrease with relaxing music. HRV showed no clear trend in the initial analysis, and further analysis will be conducted.
Thesis Completion Year
2025
Thesis Completion Semester
Spring
Thesis Chair
Chiarelli, Tina
College
College of Medicine
Department
Burnett school of Biomedical Sciences
Thesis Discipline
Biomedical sciences
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus Access
None
Campus Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
STARS Citation
Faur, Matthew Joshua, "Effects Of Invigorating And Relaxing Music On Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, And Heart Rate Variability" (2025). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 231.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/hut2024/231
Included in
Biological Engineering Commons, Circulatory and Respiratory Physiology Commons, Medical Physiology Commons, Other Medical Sciences Commons
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