For some local anesthesia procedures, listening to a song allows patients to relax as much as if they had taken medication.
8 minutes of music as powerful as a sedative? It is the conclusion of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Posted in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicinethe research compares the effects of a piece of music and a drug, such as midazolam, on the anxiety of patients before anesthesia.
Nerve block anesthesia
157 adults participated in the study: some of them received a dose of 1 to 2 mg of midazolam and the other listened to 3 minutes of the song “Weightless” by Marconi Union. This musical title was designed with sound therapists to develop arrangements intended to calm the listener. The researchers analyzed the patients’ anxiety before and after each of the procedures. All the participants were then anesthetized by nerve blocking: the method consists of controlling pain by injecting a product near the nerves.
Reduced anxiety levels in both cases
Both methods show similar results: they allow equal levels of calming patients before anesthesia. The scientists note, however, that the group relieved by the sedative declared to have felt a more positive experience than the others and to have had fewer communication problems. Researchers have several hypotheses about this. The use of noise-reducing earphones, and the sound volume may have disturbed communication with the medical teams. Since the patients could not choose the music, this may also have diminished their satisfaction.
Music, a solution without side effects
Midazolam may affect breathing or increase restlessness in some patients. Unlike the sedative, a song does not produce a side effect. The health benefits of music are numerous: a previous study shows that two out of three people listen to it to find sleep.
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