The idea that the physical act of drumming could be beneficial to our being as a whole comes as no surprise to me; I’m always jamming out in the car, hitting those perfect drum solos on all of my favorite songs. Why not? It’s fun to drum along with the beat, improvising lines and basically having your own solo session the entire song. My friends might not enjoy me drumming along to the tunes, but it’s more for me anyway.
The video below shows just how powerful an experience drumming really is. One man, who helped organize and found a drum circle in Naples, Florida, says that the only way to fully understand the transformative potential of drumming is to experience it for yourself. This drum circle demonstrates just how creative and fluid drumming actually is.
Here are six health benefits of drumming that are backed by science:
*Decreased Anxiety, Stress, and Blood Pressure – *A study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine had middle-aged veteran drummers and young, novice drummers participate in a 40-minute djembe drumming session. They compared their blood pressure, blood lactate and stress and anxiety levels from before the session to the levels after the drum session and what they found was that all participants saw decreased stress and anxiety levels.
*Increased White Brain Matter & Cognitive Functioning – *In 2014, a study published in the Journal of Huntington’s Disease, discovered that Huntington’s patients who stuck to a two-month long regimen of drumming saw noticeable improvements in “executive function and changes in white matter microstructure.” The study shows unique, preliminary evidence that drumming can help in “cognitive enhancement.”
*Reduced Levels of Pain – *A study published in Evolutionary Psychology in 2012 discovered that performances of music, whether it be singing, dancing, or drumming, caused endorphins to be released throughout the body. Researchers hypothesize that this is a large factor in how activities like dance and music help strengthen the bonding process in communities.
Reduced Stress Levels, Strengthened Immunity – *A 2001 Alternative Therapies and Health Medicine study saw that drumming lowered cortisol levels and increased “natural killer cell*” activity. These types of cells respond rapidly to viral-infected cells, meaning the better they function, the stronger your immune system is.
*Transcendental Experiences – *Published in Multiple Sclerosis, a 2004 study found that drumming allows people to reach deep hypnotic states. A 2014 study published in PLoS found similar evidence, noting that, when practiced with shamanistic instruction, drumming caused people to experience increased heart rates and ‘dreamlike’ experiences.
*Socio-Emotional Disorders – *A 2001 study published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine discovered that a 12-week group drumming regimen helped children with low socioeconomic status (SES) to improve in multiple domains of social-emotional behavior. The areas of improvement were vast and varied; from anxiety and attention disorders to oppositional and post-traumatic disorders.
Source: Expanded Consciousness