This Song Can Reduce Your Anxiety in 8 Minutes

This story was published on Livestrong.com.

Are you feeling restless, fatigued and tense? Perhaps you’re preoccupied with worry and thoughts of impending doom. These are some of the uncomfortable signs of anxiety, a condition that can make daily activities difficult.

Here’s some good news: What if we told you that you could listen to a song and feel significantly better?

In fact, there is a song created specifically for reducing anxiety, and its efficacy is backed by science. United Kingdom-based band Marconi Union composed their song “Weightless” to help alleviate anxiety disorders, the most common type of mental health condition that affects nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives.

The musical trio collaborated with sound therapists to carefully arrange harmonies, rhythms and bass lines that help slow a listener’s heart rate, reports Inc. The song also helps to reduce blood pressure and lower cortisol, a stress hormone.

Remarkably, when neuroscientists from Mindlab International put the song to the test, it passed with flying colors.

For the study, participants were asked to solve challenging puzzles as quickly as possible while connected to sensors. “The puzzles induced a certain level of stress,” reports Inc. “Participants listened to different songs while researchers measured brain activity as well as physiological states that included heart rate, blood pressure and rate of breathing.”

“Weightless” came out as the top song that produced a greater state of relaxation over any other music tested to date. Promisingly, participants who listened to the song experienced a 65 percent reduction in overall anxiety and a 35 percent reduction in their usual physiological resting rates, according to Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International.

As for how it works, sound therapy helps improve brain function through high-frequency sound. “[It] stimulates the ear by presenting it with constantly alternating sounds of high and low tone, within the complex structure of classical music,” according to Sound Therapy International. “The results observed in sound therapy listeners include increased energy; reduced fatigue with improved focus and creativity; a reduction in the need for sleep; and an almost permanent state of peace and relaxation.”

Considering that anxiety has been linked to chronic illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory disorders and gastrointestinal conditions, it’s especially important to seek ways to help your mind and body relax.

There is one caveat to Marconi Union’s song, however. If you’re planning on driving while listening to it, you may want to reconsider due to the song doing its job rather well. “‘Weightless’ was so effective [that] many women became drowsy,” says Dr. Lewis-Hodgson. “I would advise against driving while listening to the song because it could be dangerous,” he cautions.

The takeaway: The next time you’re feeling anxious, go ahead and give “Weightless” a listen — if you’re not behind the wheel, that is.