[Music, pulse, heart and sport]

Herz. 2018 Feb;43(1):43-52. doi: 10.1007/s00059-016-4520-7. Epub 2017 Jan 23.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Music, with its various elements, such as rhythm, sound and melody had the unique ability even in prehistoric, ancient and medieval times to have a special fascination for humans. Nowadays, it is impossible to eliminate music from our daily lives. We are accompanied by music in shopping arcades, on the radio, during sport or leisure time activities and in wellness therapy. Ritualized drumming was used in the medical sense to drive away evil spirits or to undergo holy enlightenment. Today we experience the varied effects of music on all sensory organs and we utilize its impact on cardiovascular and neurological rehabilitation, during invasive cardiovascular procedures or during physical activities, such as training or work. The results of recent studies showed positive effects of music on heart rate and in therapeutic treatment (e. g. music therapy). This article pursues the impact of music on the body and the heart and takes sports medical aspects from the past and the present into consideration; however, not all forms of music and not all types of musical activity are equally suitable and are dependent on the type of intervention, the sports activity or form of movement and also on the underlying disease. This article discusses the influence of music on the body, pulse, on the heart and soul in the past and the present day.

Keywords: Heart; Music; Perception; Pulse; Sport.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Auditory Perception
  • Heart / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Mind-Body Relations, Metaphysical
  • Music Therapy*
  • Music*
  • Pulse*
  • Sports / physiology*