# Music as Medicine: How Music Helps You Age Better

**Author:** Dr. Frank Lipman  
**Published:** 2026-10-19  
**Category:** Health & Wellness

From sleep and stress to movement, memory and connection, discover how music may support brain health, cardiovascular function and healthy aging—and how to find the right beat for you.

As anyone with an iTunes account can attest, music can change how you’re feeling in seconds. Press ‘play’ on a song you love and you immediately start to anticipate what’s coming next. The parts of your brain involved in movement, emotion, memory and reward all join in, which partially explains why you may start tapping your foot and swaying before you’ve consciously decided to shake your groove thing, or why hearing the first few bars of a song you loved in college can catapult you back decades in a matter of seconds. Beyond the pleasant side effects though, those reactions are part of the reason why music deserves a place in your healthy aging repertoire. Turns out, there’s evidence linking musical engagement with a longer life. In fact, researchers using data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study found that adults 65 and older who listened to music, sang or played an instrument had a lower risk of death than those who didn’t. That’s not to say that listening to Mozart or Miles Davis will necessarily add five years to your life, but it does mean that music can have a positive effect on blood pressure, movement, sleep, pain, cognition and social connection. In short, lots of good things for mind, body – and life: When we listen, our essential systems do too. Part of music’s effects come through the autonomic nervous system, which helps regulate heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. Researchers have used heart-rate variability, or HRV , as a window into that system. The greater the variability, the more alertly your system ramps up to respond to a challenging situation, and the faster it relaxes after the challenge has been met. A review of 29 studies found that music could affect HRV in positive ways and often appeared to increase activity on the parasympathetic, or “rest and recover,” side of the nervous system, although the size of the effect varied a bit across studies. Blood pressure seems to respond positively to music as well. In a 2026 analysis of 21 randomized trials involving more than 1,400 people with hypertension, researchers found that music interventions were associated with lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a lower heart rate. While not a replacement for meds and movement, research indicates that music can be a useful, pleasurable and easily accessed support player in your longevity plan. My advice? Make tuning in a small daily ritual. Adding just 10-15 minutes of music without ‘ multi-tasking’ on email or TikTok, can give your body a powerful cue to downshift out of high alert. Fast music perks us up. Slow music settles us down. Next, there’s tempo. Put Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine” on while you’re on the treadmill and it’s almost impossible not to pick up the pace. Tempo has a real effect on the body. In one experiment, faster music increased breathing, heart rate and blood pressure, whether or not listeners actually liked what they were hearing. A surprising finding however, came during the breaks. In a two-minute pause between selections, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing dropped, sometimes below baseline. Apparently, part of music’s calming power may lie in what comes between the notes. But tempo isn’t the whole story. Volume, intensity, familiarity and personal associations matter too, so a song marketed as “relaxing” won’t do you much good if it gets on your nerves, while something familiar and loved may settle you down almost immediately. Reactions are, to a great degree, very personal, which is why there’s no single musical prescription for stress. The best calming music may simply be the music that calms you. Beats per minute or BPM, shapes your musical mindset. BPM, or beats per minute, is simply a measure of musical speed. It’s useful when you’re choosing music for sleep, relaxation or exercise, though there’s no single “therapeutic” tempo. In general, for winding down, 60 to 80 BPM is a good place to start. Sleep studies in older adults have often used slow instrumental or meditative music in that range (minus any heavy percussion or sudden shifts). That tempo also overlaps with a typical resting heart rate, so it’s easy to see why slow music can feel physically settling. Gotta dance? Then a bit faster, at around 110 to 130 BPM will give you enough of a vibe to get moving without feeling frantic. “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire, at about 126 BPM, and “Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars, at about 115 BPM, are good examples of that dancing sweet spot. Tune into a low-key music groove before bed. Sleep may be one of the easiest places for you to put music to work. Trials in older adults have found improvements in self-reported sleep quality with regular evening listening. In one randomized study, adults 55 and older listened to 40 minutes of soft instrumental music at roughly 60 to 80 BPM before sleep for six weeks and reported better sleep quality than the control group. Keep in mind though, 40 minutes isn’t a required dose. For most people, 15 or 20 should do the trick. Keep the volume comfortable, choose music without sudden shifts. Add a sleep timer to your music of choice so it shuts off after you do. A beat can get – and keep – you moving. The music you want for walking or exercise is steady as she goes. A stronger beat can help coordinate movement, and faster music can help make effort feel easier and help you keep up the pace. Research has found modest improvements in exercise performance and fatigue with music, but sometimes the best playlist is still the one you pick yourself. Apologies to Spotify. Dancing takes that relationship between music and movement a step further , adding coordination, memory and often social interaction. And because it feels like dancing instead of exercise, it may be easier to keep doing. More movement and easier effort? That’s music to this doctor’s ears! For longevity, recovery matters — and music can help. For better or worse, longer life also brings with it more chances to face injury, surgery or medical setback. Recovery matters. A lot. So, it’s interesting to find out that music may help ease some of the pain and anxiety surrounding those difficulties. In an analysis of 30 randomized trials involving over 2,200 surgical patients, music reduced anxiety and pain and was also linked to modest drops in blood pressure and heart rate. What you listen to may matter too. In a 2026 knee-replacement trial , patients who heard their preferred music before and during surgery had less postoperative anxiety, lower pain at one follow-up point and less need for pain medication. Music won’t replace your anesthesiologist or post-op pain meds, but it may make the experience, and early recovery, easier. Got a procedure scheduled? Then ask if you can bring headphones and/or your own playlist. Music gives memory another way in. You know the saying “use it or lose it”? Music gives the brain plenty to work with, from lyrics and old associations to attention, coordination and mental flexibility. That may be why you can forget why you walked into the kitchen and still know every word of a song you haven’t heard since 1998. Familiar music can bring back people, places and moments that might otherwise stay beyond reach. Use this to your advantage and put music to use for your brain. Revisit songs tied to different periods of your life or build playlists around old trips and milestones. Learning or playing music adds another layer of challenge. Or just sing along! A 2025 analysis of 33 randomized trials involving more than 3,000 older adults found that music therapy was associated with improvements in cognition, memory and executive function. Ok, so maybe music won’t bring cognitive aging to a complete stop, but keeping these skills in ready working order may help you lose a little less ground over time. What music can, and can’t, do in dementia. Dementia is a bit more complicated. Familiar songs can prompt singing, recognition and reminiscing when ordinary conversation becomes difficult. While we don’t yet have proof that music slows dementia or reliably improves cognition, the current thinking is that music may still help preserve something equally important: connection. In dementia care, singing, personalized playlists and simple instruments have been linked with more verbal and nonverbal interaction. Keep in mind though, a familiar song may bring recognition and comfort, while one that’s tied to a difficult memory can do the opposite. To hit the right note, the key is to follow the person’s response. Don’t just listen – make noise too! There’s a good argument for making music as well as listening to it. Singing requires breath control, timing and memory. Playing an instrument adds coordinated movement, attention and constant feedback. And the age one takes up the tuba or joins a gospel choir doesn’t matter all that much. Older beginners can learn. In randomized studies , older adults who took piano lessons showed improvements in selected measures of executive function, working memory and processing speed. That doesn’t mean piano lessons prevent dementia, but they do give the brain a complex new task to work on. Better yet, you don’t even have to become good at whichever instrument you choose. Take beginner piano lessons. Join a drumming group. Pick up the guitar you abandoned years ago. Sing with friends. Enjoy the experience and let music give your brain a workout you’ll actually want to come back to. Singing gives you something listening by yourself can’t. Connecting with a choir or signing group adds something important: other people. In a recent randomized trial of 390 adults age 60 and older, those who joined a community choir reported less loneliness and greater interest in life after six months. These positive notes also matter for longevity. Choirs, dancing, concerts and making music with friends give us reasons to get out, connect and participate. If music can keep you socially engaged while giving your brain and body something to do, that’s a pretty good return on a song. Finding your beat and setting your pace. Music is personal, and the right tempo depends on what you like, how you move and what you’re trying to do. Still, a few general BPM ranges can help when you’re building playlists for sleep, focus, walking, workouts or winding down. Relaxation: 60–80 BPM. Look for gentle dynamics, an easy rhythm and music you find calming. Sleep preparation: 60–80 BPM, or music without a strong beat. Keep it low and predictable, without sudden changes and cymbal clashes. Focus: roughly 60–100 BPM, if it helps you. Simple instrumental music at low volume often works better than something demanding your conscious attention. Comfortable walking: roughly 90–120 BPM. Choose a rhythm close to your natural walking pace. Brisk walking, cycling or general exercise: roughly 120–140 BPM. Pick music that feels energizing and suits the activity and your fitness level. Don’t forget: be kind to your ears. And, word to the wise, don’t get too carried away with volume. While music is wonderful for you from head to toe, prolonged exposure to sounds north of about 85 decibels can damage your hearing, which you’re going to need no matter what age you are.

## Source

- [Canonical article](https://www.drfranklipman.com/post/music-as-medicine-your-longevity-plan-needs-a-soundtrack)
- [Original source](https://www.drfranklipman.com/post/music-as-medicine-your-longevity-plan-needs-a-soundtrack)