In our world of today, which is bustling with noises, with cars stuck in traffic jams, heavy construction machinery with their deafening sounds, many of us do not get a chance to deal with our fair share of silence. And according to a lot of studies done in the past, this is not something good for our body and our mind as well.
Experts and research studies alike confirm that, especially in our loud world, time spent in silence can bring numerous health benefits. So here is a list of physical and mental benefits of silence that may help your health in several ways.
1. Silence can help in lowering blood pressure
Hypertension, or higher blood pressure, is often the first sign in people with cardiovascular ailments. Research done in 2006 revealed that a 2 minute period of silence after listening to slow music significantly reduced the subject’s heart rate and blood pressure. When compared to slow and relaxing music alone, the silence was still better at reducing these important measures of heart health.
2. Silence can improve concentration and focus
The auditory stillness helps a person in better concentration. Maybe that is why it is hard to focus with noises in the background while doing something important.
In a 2021 PubMed published study, 59 participants performed tasks that required concentration, with either silence, speech, or other noise in the background. Those who worked in silence performed the best and experienced the least cognitive load and the lowest stress levels.
3. Silence may promote brain growth
The age-old saying, “Quieting the mind might lead to a healthier brain” seems true in this case.
A study that was performed on mice showed that 2 hours of silence stimulated the growth of new cells in the hippocampus in mice, the region of the brain related to memory and emotion.
While the study is yet to be done on humans, but there are various possibilities regarding the link between silence and brain development.
4. Silence reduces cortisol
Cortisol is released in the body when it experiences stressful conditions. We might have experienced a rise in our heartbeat or a thumping feeling in the chest while being in an extremely noisy environment. The study that linked silence with better concentration also found out that noise in the background resulted in higher levels of cortisol. A period of silence helps in the relaxation of the body and reduces cortisol.
5. Silence stimulates creativity
A key to being creative is to flush out your mind out of all the pre-existing thoughts with a long break of silence. Many experts believe that people should have more mental downtime for better creative output. Periods of downtime have been found to increase productivity and improve problem-solving.
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