Population ageing is an important global public health phenomenon, with a progressive increase in the number of people living into older age. The World Health Organization emphasizes that healthy ageing involves maintaining functional ability and well-being rather than merely the absence of disease. Older adults frequently experience physiological changes and a greater burden of chronic conditions, making simple, safe and accessible approaches to support health and well-being increasingly relevant in community and primary-care settings [1,2]. In this context, non-pharmacological interventions that can be easily incorporated into routine care have attracted considerable interest.

CME Journal of Geriatric Medicine                                                                         233

Music is a universal and culturally meaningful stimulus that can influence emotional, behavioural and physiological responses. Unlike many conventional therapeutic approaches, music-based interventions are relatively inexpensive, non-invasive and generally easy to administer. Recent evidence suggests that music interventions may provide benefits across several domains of health in older adults, including psychological well-being, cognitive functioning, quality of life and physiological responses [3]. Systematic reviews have also reported beneficial effects of music-based interventions among older people with dementia, although variations in intervention type, duration and study quality indicate the need for further well-designed research [4,5].

The physiological effects of music are of particular interest because auditory stimulation may influence autonomic nervous system activity. A systematic review examining the relationship between music and cardiac autonomic function found that most included studies demonstrated favourable changes in heart-rate variability, suggesting increased parasympathetic activity following musical stimulation, although methodological limitations and heterogeneity were noted [6]. Evidence from studies of older adults has additionally shown that music therapy can influence physical and psychological outcomes, supporting its potential role as a complementary intervention rather than a replacement for standard medical care [3,7].

The present study aims to assess the effect of music therapy on selected vital parameters among geriatric patients. It specifically seeks to determine whether exposure to music produces measurable changes in heart rate, oxygen saturation (SpO₂), and respiratory rate. By comparing these parameters between participants receiving music intervention and those in the comparison group, the study intends to evaluate the potential physiological benefits of music therapy in elderly individuals.

Study design: Interventional, cross-sectional study. Study population: Elderly individuals aged 65 years and above. Sample size: A total of 89 participants were included, with 45 receiving music therapy and 44 serving as the comparison group. Study duration: 30 December 2023 to 26 February 2024. Study setting/location: Rural Health and Training Centre, Gamharia, Jamshedpur. Inclusion criteria: • Individuals aged 65 years and above. • Those capable of providing informed consent. • Individuals with common senile conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or arthritis. Exclusion criteria: • Known hearing impairment in either ear. • Previous ear surgery in either ear. • Presence of a cardiac pacemaker. • Individuals suffering from chronic pain. Detailed Description of Procedure: This study recruited 89 participants, of whom 45 were subjected to music therapy, while the remaining participants served as a comparison group. The first reading (R1) of vital parameters, including oxygen saturation, heart rate, and respiratory rate, was recorded using a pulse oximeter after obtaining prior informed consent. The second reading (R2) was taken after an interval of 5 minutes. Following this, music therapy was administered to the intervention group, while no intervention was provided to the comparison group. The music therapy consisted of two music pieces of 5 minutes each (total duration: 10 minutes), comprising one Indian classical piece (Raag Yaman) and one Western classical piece (Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata). The third and final reading (R3) was recorded at the end of the music therapy, i.e., 20 minutes after R1. Total time required for the entire procedure: 20–25 minutes per participant (including consent, setup, and procedure). Analysis of Data: The data were analysed using JAMOVI software. Statistical tests used for data analysis: The data were presented as frequency and percentage. Categorical data were analysed using the Chi-square test. Continuous data were analysed using the paired t-test. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.

Table 1. Baseline Demographic Characteristics of Study Participants

Table 2. Effect of Music Intervention on Heart Rate in Intervention and Comparison Groups

Table 3. Effect of Music Intervention on Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂) in Intervention and Comparison Groups

Table 4. Effect of Music Intervention on Respiratory Rate in Intervention and Comparison Groups

Figure1. Mean Heart Rate Before and After Music Intervention

Figure 2. Mean SpO₂ Before and After Music Intervention

A total of 89 geriatric participants were included in the study, comprising 45 participants in the intervention group and 44 in the comparison group. The mean age was 74.20 ± 6.99 years in the intervention group and 72.69 ± 6.31 years in the comparison group. Regarding sex distribution, males constituted the majority in both groups, accounting for 33 (73.3%) participants in the intervention group and 36 (81.8%) in the comparison group. Females comprised 12 (26.7%) and 8 (18.2%), respectively. Overall, the study population consisted of 69 (77.5%) males and 20 (22.5%) females. Thus, the two groups showed a broadly comparable demographic profile, with a predominance of male participants.

The intervention group demonstrated a reduction in mean heart rate following music therapy, from 75.07 ± 9.628 beats/minute before intervention to 73.80 ± 9.084 beats/minute after intervention, representing a mean decrease of 1.27 beats/minute. This reduction was statistically significant (t = 2.99, p = 0.005). In contrast, the comparison group showed only a small reduction in mean heart rate, from 75.49 ± 10.166 to 75.07 ± 8.724 beats/minute, with a mean change of −0.42 beats/minute. This change was not statistically significant (t = 0.914, p = 0.366). These findings indicate that music therapy was associated with a significant reduction in heart rate among the elderly participants, whereas no significant change was observed in the comparison group.

Mean oxygen saturation in the intervention group increased slightly from 98.51 ± 0.661% before music therapy to 98.60 ± 0.539% after intervention, corresponding to a mean increase of 0.09%. However, this change was not statistically significant (t = 0.85, p = 0.40). Similarly, the comparison group showed a minimal decrease in mean SpO₂ from 98.20 ± 0.786% to 98.18 ± 0.650%, with a mean change of −0.02%. The observed change was not statistically significant (t = 0.19, p = 0.85). Therefore, although a small increase in oxygen saturation was observed following music therapy, the intervention did not produce a statistically significant change in SpO₂.

The intervention group showed a modest reduction in mean respiratory rate following music therapy, decreasing from 16.16 ± 3.219 breaths/minute before intervention to 15.84 ± 3.219 breaths/minute after intervention. The mean reduction was 0.32 breaths/minute; however, this change was not statistically significant (t = 0.726, p = 0.47). The comparison group similarly demonstrated a small decrease in respiratory rate from 16.49 ± 2.332 to 16.29 ± 2.528 breaths/minute, with a mean change of −0.20 breaths/minute. This difference was also statistically non-significant (t = 0.684, p = 0.497). Thus, music therapy produced a small downward trend in respiratory rate, but the observed change did not reach statistical significance.

The present study evaluated the immediate effect of music intervention on three routinely measured vital parameters—heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate—in geriatric participants. Overall, the findings suggest that music therapy produced a significant reduction in heart rate, whereas the observed changes in SpO₂ and respiratory rate were small and statistically non-significant. These findings are broadly consistent with the concept that music can influence autonomic and physiological activity, although the magnitude and direction of the response may vary according to the population, type of music, duration of exposure and clinical setting. In the present study, the intervention group showed a significant reduction in mean heart rate from 75.07 ± 9.628 beats/minute before intervention to 73.80 ± 9.084 beats/minute after music therapy, with a mean reduction of 1.27 beats/minute (t = 2.99, p = 0.005). In contrast, the comparison group demonstrated only a small, non-significant reduction from 75.49 ± 10.166 to 75.07 ± 8.724 beats/minute (p = 0.366). This finding indicates that the reduction in heart rate was more pronounced following music exposure than in the absence of the intervention. The finding is supported by Lorber and Divjak, who conducted a randomized controlled trial among 60 older adults with hypertension and reported a significant reduction in heart rate among participants receiving music therapy compared with controls [8]. Their findings are particularly relevant because the study population was also geriatric and demonstrated a cardiovascular response to music-based intervention. Similarly, a systematic review by Mojtabavi et al., which included 29 studies involving 1,368 participants, concluded that music can influence cardiac autonomic regulation, with most studies demonstrating favourable changes in heart-rate-variability-related measures [9]. More recently, Gaebel et al. reviewed studies assessing heart rate and heart rate variability and found that music therapy produced significant effects in several studies, although the direction and magnitude of the response were not completely consistent across studies [10]. Thus, the significant fall in heart rate observed in the present study supports the proposed role of music in promoting autonomic relaxation and reducing physiological arousal. However, the relatively small absolute reduction of 1.27 beats/minute suggests that the effect in the present community-based elderly population was modest. In the present study, mean SpO₂ increased slightly in the intervention group from 98.51 ± 0.661% to 98.60 ± 0.539%, representing a mean increase of only 0.09 percentage points, which was not statistically significant (t = 0.85, p = 0.40). The comparison group showed an almost unchanged SpO₂, decreasing from 98.20 ± 0.786% to 98.18 ± 0.650% (p = 0.85). Therefore, music therapy did not produce a statistically significant alteration in oxygen saturation. This result is consistent with recent evidence suggesting that SpO₂ may be relatively stable in healthy or clinically stable older adults and may not be particularly sensitive to a short period of music exposure. A recent physiological study among 96 older adults exposed to instrumental Indian classical music found that oxygen saturation remained relatively unchanged despite significant reductions in blood pressure [11]. This observation is closely comparable with the present findings, where SpO₂ remained within a high normal range before and after the intervention. Evidence from other clinical populations has been somewhat more variable. For example, a randomized controlled study of single-session receptive music therapy in hospitalized patients reported higher post-intervention oxygen saturation in the music group than in the control group [12]. However, the clinical condition of those participants was substantially different from the relatively stable geriatric population in the present study. The absence of a significant SpO₂ response in the current study may therefore reflect a ceiling effect, as baseline saturation was already high (98.51%). In participants with normal oxygenation, there may be little physiological scope for a short-term intervention to produce a clinically meaningful increase. The intervention group demonstrated a small reduction in respiratory rate, from 16.16 ± 3.219 to 15.84 ± 3.219 breaths/minute, corresponding to a mean decrease of 0.32 breaths/minute. However, this reduction was not statistically significant (t = 0.726, p = 0.47). The comparison group also showed a small decrease, from 16.49 ± 2.332 to 16.29 ± 2.528 breaths/minute (p = 0.497). Thus, although the direction of change in the intervention group was compatible with a mild relaxation response, the evidence was insufficient to demonstrate a significant effect. The present finding differs somewhat from the results of Al- Foa’adi and Al-Jubouri, who reported a reduction of approximately 2.07 breaths/minute following music intervention during pulmonary function testing, together with improvements in other vital parameters [13]. The larger change in their study may be related to differences in the clinical setting, participant characteristics and physiological stress associated with pulmonary function testing. A more recent randomized controlled study in elderly patients undergoing colonoscopy also found that respiratory rate was significantly lower following music therapy [14]. These findings suggest that music may have a greater influence on respiratory rate when participants experience procedural anxiety or physiological stress. In contrast, the present participants were elderly individuals in a community-based setting and had relatively normal baseline respiratory rates. Consequently, the relatively small reduction of 0.32 breaths/minute may represent a mild relaxation response without sufficient magnitude to reach statistical significance. The findings also emphasize that the physiological effects of music should not be assumed to be uniform across different populations or clinical circumstances. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that music intervention had its clearest measurable physiological effect on heart rate, with a statistically significant reduction after exposure. In contrast, SpO₂ and respiratory rate remained relatively stable. The pattern is consistent with recent literature indicating that music can influence autonomic cardiovascular regulation, while its effects on other vital parameters are more variable. The findings support music as a simple, non-invasive and potentially useful complementary intervention for elderly individuals, particularly for promoting physiological relaxation. Nevertheless, the modest magnitude of change and the relatively small sample size indicate that larger controlled studies with standardized music selection, intervention duration and longer follow-up are required to establish the clinical significance of these effects.

The present study demonstrates that music therapy may have a beneficial short-term effect on selected vital parameters among geriatric individuals. A statistically significant reduction in heart rate was observed following music intervention, suggesting a possible calming and autonomic regulatory effect. However, changes in oxygen saturation and respiratory rate were small and did not reach statistical significance. Overall, music therapy appears to be a simple, non-invasive and potentially useful complementary approach for promoting physiological relaxation in elderly individuals. Further studies involving larger samples, standardized music interventions and longer follow-up periods are recommended to establish the clinical significance and broader applicability of these findings.