The Many Benefits of Listening to Music ...

1. It Inspires You

A good song, whatever the genre or the artist, can inspire you to do, oh, whatever you need inspiration for, really. Listen to the songs that matter to you while you're creating or brainstorming and see what happens.

2. It Motivates You

Working out at the gym, training for a marathon, cleaning the house, getting ready for work – the right beat can motivate you to be your very best. Even on days when you don't feel like making the effort, an inspiring, tailor-made playlist can get you moving.

3. Music Increases Your Endurance

Music doesn't just get you moving, it keeps you moving longer. That is, it can improve your endurance and help you push yourself to run one more mile, try one more set of reps, or tackle one more hour at work.

4. It Helps You Focus

Listening to music while you're working, studying, writing an essay, or working out can help you maintain your focus. This doesn't work for everyone – some people get too distracted by singing along or skipping through their playlist to find the right song. If that's the case with you, try a different kind of music. It's true, for example, that classical music is often an excellent study aid.

5. Listening to Music Gives You Sweeter Dreams

Specifically, listening to some classic tunes before bedtime can help you get a better night's sleep. It's especially useful if you suffer from insomnia. The key is to keep it soft, soothing, and light. That's why other types of music, such as pop, heavy metal, or even country, may keep you up – it's a little too busy, a little too distracting, a little too brash.

6. Music Kills Stress

You know that feeling you get when you're stressed to the gills or having a super bad day, and you hear a song you love? It's like the weight of the world disappears from your shoulders. Bliss!

7. It Brings Back Intense Memories

Memories of love, heartbreak, sorrow, excitement – if you think about it, many of your most epic moments probably have their own soundtrack, don't they?

8. It Feeds the Nostalgia Monster

A certain song can bring back a memory of your first love or your first major accomplishment, absolutely. But music also taps into nostalgia like nothing else. The sounds of the '90s might take you back to your childhood, or a certain album might remind you of your first semesters at college.

9. It Can Relieve Depression

If you listen to meditative music and classical pieces, then it can help alleviate depression by soothing many of its symptoms. Keep in mind that other types of music can make your depression worse, even if you love the genre.

10. It Helps You Meditate

Not everyone likes listening to music when they meditate, but it can help. The music should be soothing, soft, and slow, however. Anything too fast, upbeat, or loud might keep you from reaching your own personal zen.

11. It Makes PMS More Bearable

The reason music helps with meditation is because slow beats alter the speed of your brainwaves. The same effect happens when you listen to soothing music during PMS.

12. Ditto Migraines

In the same way that music leads you to a meditative state and soothes your PMS, it can even ease your migraines. While you could argue that any music that appeals to you can improve your PMS symptoms, soft and slow beats are definitely better when you're experimenting with migraine relief.

13. Music Lifts Your Mood

No-brainer, right? Music and mood tangle together at a deeply personal level that's different for everyone. No matter what, though, I bet there's a song you listen to when you're angry, when you're heartbroken, when you're in love, and when you're anxious.

14. It Gets You More in Touch with Your Feelings

Sometimes, the right song unlocks all your feelings. Maybe it makes you laugh, maybe it makes you weep, or maybe it makes you clench your fists with remembered rage. A meaningful song can make you sob when all you need is a good cry, it can make you feel beautiful when you desperately need a boost, and it can inspire you to go on when all you want to do is give up and walk away.

15. Music Can Help You Ace Your Tests

Although it's not always possible to listen to music when you're performing some kind of cognitive task, music can improve your performance. Even background music is beneficial. Past studies have indicated that you can answer more questions correctly and take less time doing so when you listen to music.

16. Music Makes You Conquer Pressure

The next time you're feeling the pressure, listen to your favorite upbeat songs. Try it before a presentation at work, an important test, a big game, a first date – any type of high-pressure situation where you want to feel confident and invincible.

17. Music Soothes the Savage Anxiety Beast

Maybe you're anxious because you're facing a performance evaluation at work. Maybe you're taking your driving test. Maybe you have a bad case of social anxiety. Whatever the case, music can be just as relaxing as an amazing massage when you're feeling anxious and stressed. When you really need to soothe your nerves and calm your fears, book a massage and ask the therapist to play your favorite music.

Music is a panacea, sure to cure what ails you in some type of way. It's pretty neat to know that the songs that make you feel better about yourself, your struggles, your feelings, and your life in general can actually benefit your physical, mental, and emotional health. What does music do for you?