What We Hear In Our Headphones Can Heal Us

I was recently flying cross country by myself (a very rare feat), and was quite a bit anxious during the landing. I decided to try some music to calm me down. Thank you Maroon 5 and Black Eyed Peas for making the last leg of my flight a much more enjoyable experience!

How Music Calms Our Nerves

Engaging in music—whether it be by singing, listening, or creating it—provides an immediate biological and psychological benefit for both adults and children. According to the article Music and Song: The Sounds of Hope?, research indicates that there are psychological and medical benefits of music including increased happiness and reduced stress.

In one study published in the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences, researchers found that music can be more effective than medication in reducing anxiety. Patients who were about to have surgery were randomly assigned to either listen to music or take anti-anxiety medication. Scientists tracked the patients’ assessment of their own anxiety, as well as the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Interestingly enough, the patients who listened to music had less anxiety and lower cortisol than people who took the medication. Although this is only one study, the lead researcher noted, “The promise here is that music is arguably less expensive than drugs, and it’s easier on the body and it doesn’t have side effects.”

Music helps us relax in the following ways:

• Distraction. As music garners our attention, it acts as a distraction while also helping us explore our emotions. It also keeps us focused and prevents our mind from wandering to negative thoughts like our worries.
• Mindfulness. Music allows us to lose ourselves in the moment as we enjoy the sounds we are hearing. This level of mindfulness can be immediate, unconscious, and effortless—like the flow we experience in all creative outlets that we enjoy.
• Shift Thinking. In their book, Your Playlist Can Change Your Life, Galina Mindlin, director of the Brain Music Treatment Center, and co-authors Don DuRousseau and Joseph Cardillo suggest that we listen repeatedly to carefully selected songs in order to help train our brain in ways that will make us feel calmer.

Does The Type Of Music Matter?

Although slow, quiet classical music is known to have calming effects like lowering pulse and heart rate, reducing blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones in our body, it is really a personal choice to discover which music you find most soothing. Galina Mindlin recommends choosing a piece of music you really like that will calm you down.

The goal is to pay attention and ingrain that piece of music into our brain. Now we can use that music as a tool to play whenever our stress level rises. She said that it is totally possible that a fast song with a high beats per minute can have a calming effect—just as I experienced with my tunes on the airplane.

Cozy Phones Are The Perfect Calming Headphones

When our children are listening to the soothing music they love so much, we want to make sure they are both comfortable and safe.

Cozy Phones are such adorable, comfy headphones that our children will enjoy wearing. They are made out of soft fleece material and are essentially a headband that children can easily slip on. This headband design is a special feature because it allows the headphones to stay on easier, such as when a child is napping in the car. The speakers are ultra-thin and built into the headband. You can easily adjust the speakers to fit your child. The speakers can also be removed so you can wash the headband. The cord is made out of a tough braided cloth material and is extra-long at 52 inches.

They come in several fun character designs: unicorn, green frog, purple frog, silly monster, panda, pink bunny, and our favorite the yellow smiley face. Check out this video to learn more about children’s Cozy Phones.

 

Finally, the kid’s Cozy Phones have a built-in volume limit feature to ensure the sound does not exceed 85 decibels. This is so important in protecting our children from any hearing loss damage.

My children tried out the Cozy Phones. My daughter announced, “It’s like a bed for my head! These headphones are so cushion-y. They make me want to dance.” My son reported, “The smiley face is so cool and it’s so great that you don’t have something inside your ear.”

Cozy Phones are also available for adults in two models:

• Sleep Headphones: These headphones are great for meditation or relaxing before bedtime. They will not hurt your ears like earbuds or bulky headphones. The headband doubles as a sleep mask, too, blocking out light.
• Active Headphones: Great for sports and fitness activities, these headphones will easily stay on your head as you move around.

What are your children’s favorite songs to help them chill out?

*This post was sponsored by Cozy Phones in the form of a complimentary product.