1. It Lowers Stress and Anxiety
One of the most significant benefits of sound meditation is that it can help reduce your stress levels. For example, one study found that listening to soothing sounds and vibrations for an hour reduced cortisol — the stress hormone — in 86% of participants, helping to lower their stress levels and induce deep relaxation.
But what type of sound should you listen to, and is one more effective than the others? One study measured the effects of listening to didgeridoos compared to a control group that did a silent meditation. The didgeridoo meditators reported experiencing significantly more relaxation and less acute stress than their silent meditator counterparts.
Another study assessed people who participated in Tibetan singing bowl sound meditation and found they reported significantly less tension, anger, fatigue, and depressed mood, as well as increased feelings of spiritual well-being. The researchers concluded that this type of sound meditation is a viable treatment for anxiety and depression.
Meanwhile, a meta-analysis of the research on binaural beats concluded that this type of sound reduces anxiety and has potential as a therapeutic tool for emotional regulation.
Therefore, like most things, the ‘best’ sound meditation is the one that works best for you, so experiment with soothing sounds until you find something that resonates.
2. It Improves Immune Heart Health
Because sound meditation reduces cortisol levels, it can also positively impact immune health. Chronic stress causes cortisol levels to stay high over time, which researchers say can provoke inflammation and inhibit immune function.
Practicing sound meditation regularly can, therefore, boost your immune system. In fact, one study found mantra meditation to be particularly effective in promoting immune function, including an increase in the number of natural killer cells, which help fight off viruses and cancer cells.
Multiple studies on the effects of meditation on heart health have found that it lowers your heart rate and reduces blood pressure. One study into the effects of different sound frequencies on hypertensive rats found that it lowered their blood pressure, indicating that sound vibrations may do the same for humans.
Meanwhile, another study found that participants who listened to Himalayan singing bowls before a guided meditation session had lower blood pressure and heart rates than the control group, who did the guided meditation session without listening to the singing bowls first. These findings suggest that adding sound to your meditation practice can enhance its heart health effects.
3. It Reduces Pain and Inflammation
A study into the effects of music on neurohormonal mechanisms found that passively listening to music can stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, indicating that sound may help manage physical pain.
In another study, researchers found that low-frequency sound stimulation decreased pain in fibromyalgia patients, allowing nearly 75% of participants to reduce their pain medication.
4. It Enhances Mindfulness
Like all forms of meditation, sound meditation can help you to live more mindfully as you move through the world. Although mindfulness means different things to different people, essentially, it’s about staying connected to the present moment and choosing your responses instead of reacting.
The vibrations used in sound meditation can help create a meditative state, allowing for a more profound connection to the present moment that strengthens the more you practice it. A regular sound meditation practice can lead to increased self-awareness, emotional regulation, and overall well-being.
5. It Improves Concentration and Focus
The study of the effects of binaural beats also found that its rhythmic sound patterns can help synchronize brainwaves, leading to increased focus and concentration.