From music to your ears, to harmful noise

An earworm isn’t a worm in your ear. It is a song that lodges itself in your brain. You have a hard time getting rid of it, but know that it does go away: no need trying to block it out. But music does have some benefits. Playing  a musical instrument trains the brain—and the […]

An earworm isn’t a worm in your ear. It is a song that lodges itself in your brain. You have a hard time getting rid of it, but know that it does go away: no need trying to block it out.

But music does have some benefits. Playing  a musical instrument trains the brain—and the effects last long even after quitting. Adolescents with some music lesson in them are able to pick out pitch and other key elements of music that those who had none.

If you are tired of hearing your kid sing the sound track to PJ Masks, it may be worth it in the long run. Music builds reasoning skills and helps children learn and remember. That helps with maths, science and reason.

If you are unable to carry a tune, you simply are tone deaf. Not to worry, it doesn’t mean you have hearing problems. One in every 25 people are tone deaf, and it may be inherited.

There’s a reason for choosing fast-beat music during exercise. Fast-beat music makes you exercise—cycle, jog—faster and quicker than slow ballads. And you enjoy the exercise more when listening to faster music.

That song you love might make you tap your feet or boost your mood; it is also good for your heart. Listening to your feel-good music does make you feel good, and improve your blood flow—which is good news for your heart and blood vessels.

Even after a stroke, people who listen daily to their favourite music remembered more, focused better and were less depressed and confused than those who hadn’t, one study shows. The reason isn’t clear, but one possibility is that listening to music involves several parts of the brain.

Therapy using music helps with speech problems from Parkinson’s disease. The condition usually comes with slurred or unclear speech because of breathing problems or trouble moving your mouth or tongue. Through music therapy you can learn how to “sing” words and hold single syllables to get better breath support. If you focus on the rhythm of a piece of music, it might help you walk or move better. Music can also slow down your body when it’s overactive. So plug right into your fave tune.