How Classical Music Calms Your Nervous System
- Kayla Collingwood
- Dec 30, 2025
- 7 min read
A somatic, music-informed perspective grounded in science
Many people instinctively reach for music when they feel overwhelmed, anxious, or depleted. A familiar, gently structured classical work can soften the breath, quiet the mind, and create a sense of internal space within moments. These responses are not simply subjective impressions - they reflect measurable shifts in autonomic nervous system activity, particularly in relation to breathing patterns, heart rate variability, and perceived safety.
Across music therapy, somatic practice, and neuroscience, research increasingly shows that music - especially music with specific qualities related to elements such as rhythm, form, and harmony - can influence autonomic regulation and support a return towards physiological balance.
This article explores how and why certain strands of the Western classical tradition may be especially well suited to this role, drawing on scientific research while remaining grounded in lived, embodied musical experience. While it draws on music therapy and other research, it does not suggest that listening to music replaces clinical therapy or formal treatment where necessary.
About Me
Hi! I’m Kayla Collingwood, founder of Sound Garden. I am a classical singer, educator, and creator with over a decade of experience working with voice, music, and embodied expression.
Alongside traditional singing tuition, I offer Voice and Stagecraft for Wellbeing sessions. These are not performance-focused lessons, nor are they concerned with repertoire or technical mastery for its own sake. Instead, they support people in reconnecting with their mind–body–voice as tools for regulation, communication, and expression.
Drawing on classical voice training, theatre practice, and somatic approaches, this work is particularly supportive for those who want to feel more connected to their bodies and voices. Again and again, I see how music and the creative arts can create a space for people to heal, grow, and thrive in all areas of life!
Through the Lens of Music Therapy: Structure, Safety, and Regulation
Music therapy is the intentional, professional use of music and its constituent elements - rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo, dynamics, and form - to support physical, emotional, and psychological wellbeing. Within this field, music is not treated as background sound, but as a relational, embodied experience, shaped in response to the individual and their nervous system state. It is a protected clinical profession and should only be delivered by a trained, licensed music therapist. Using music intentionally for personal wellbeing or self-regulation does not require clinical training, provided it is not framed as treatment or delivered to vulnerable populations.
A substantial body of research suggests that music therapy interventions are often associated with increases in vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV), a physiological marker linked with parasympathetic nervous system activity, emotional regulation, and adaptive flexibility. While the literature includes a range of methodologies and does not imply universal effects, the overall trend supports the idea that carefully selected and intentionally facilitated musical experiences can support nervous system regulation. Note: HRV is a complex marker influenced by age, health status, and context, and should be interpreted as a trend indicator rather than a direct measure of "calm".
From a clinical and musicological perspective, certain musical characteristics recur in repertoire frequently used for regulation and containment. These include:
Moderate to slow tempi
Clear phrase structures
Predictable harmonic rhythm
Limited dynamic volatility
Repetition with gentle variation
Such qualities are especially prominent in many baroque and early classical works.
Musicological Examples
Works often cited or used in therapeutic and wellbeing contexts include:
J.S. Bach - Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 A slow, continuous melodic line over a stable harmonic foundation, with minimal rhythmic disruption.
J.S. Bach - Goldberg Variations (e.g. Aria, Variations 1, 13, 25) Regular phrase lengths, cyclical harmonic structure, and a strong sense of return support predictability and containment.
Handel - “Lascia ch’io pianga” (Rinaldo) A sarabande-based aria with a slow triple metre, symmetrical phrasing, and restrained affect.
Mozart - Adagio movements from piano sonatas (e.g. K. 280, K. 332) Transparent textures, balanced phrases, and moderate harmonic pacing.
These examples are not prescriptions, but illustrations of musical features commonly associated with containment and predictability.
Crucially, music therapy does not assume that all music is universally calming. Individual history, cultural context, personal associations, and current nervous system state profoundly shape how music is perceived.
Visit the playlists page for curated playlists by mood, era, and more!
A Somatic Perspective: Rhythm as an External Regulator
From a somatic perspective, the nervous system is constantly responding to sensory input. Rhythm plays a particularly central role in this process - often described as entrainment, in which internal physiological rhythms gradually align with external rhythmic input.
When stress disrupts internal rhythms such as breath, heart rate, or vocal expression, the body may struggle to self-regulate. External rhythmic input can then act as a form of regulatory scaffolding. Music with a steady pulse, predictable metre, and limited rhythmic syncopation offers the nervous system something stable to orient towards.
Empirical studies support this understanding. Listening to slow, structured music is consistently associated with increases in heart rate variability and reductions in sympathetic arousal, particularly when the music is not overly complex, loud, or surprising.
From a somatic standpoint, regulation is not about imposing calm, but about restoring coherence and rhythmic continuity.
The Power of the Human Voice: Singing, Co-Regulation, and Connection
Vocal music introduces a further regulatory dimension: the body itself becomes the sound-producing instrument.
Singing engages respiratory rhythm, laryngeal musculature, facial muscles, and vagal pathways. Slow, sustained singing naturally lengthens the exhalation phase of breathing, which is associated with parasympathetic activation.
Group singing adds a social and physiological layer. Research shows that when people sing together, particularly with shared phrasing and breathing, heart rate variability patterns can synchronise. This phenomenon of physiological entrainment supports emotional bonding, co-regulation, and a sense of social safety.
Studies on choral singing suggest associations with:
Increased HRV
Reduced cortisol levels
Improved mood and social connectedness
From a somatic perspective, shared rhythm, shared breath, and shared intention act as potent cues of safety. However, for some individuals, vocalisation can initially feel activating or vulnerable; choice, pacing, and agency are therefore essential.
A Neuroscientific View: What Is Happening in the Body?
Music engages far more than the auditory cortex. Listening activates networks involved in emotion, movement, memory, and autonomic regulation.
Auditory input interfaces with brainstem centres that influence breathing, heart rate, and arousal. This helps explain why music can shift physiological state without conscious effort. HRV is frequently used in research as a non-invasive indicator of autonomic balance, and calming music is repeatedly associated with increased parasympathetic modulation.
Music also influences neurochemical systems related to reward and emotional regulation, including dopamine pathways. These changes should be understood as modulatory rather than corrective; music supports regulation but does not "fix" dysregulated nervous systems.
Not All Classical Music Is Calming
It is important to be precise: classical music is not inherently soothing.
The Western classical repertoire spans enormous emotional and physiological range. Tempo, metre, harmonic tension, orchestration, and dynamic contrast all matter. A Bach sarabande and Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring are likely to produce profoundly different autonomic responses.
Research suggests that the following musical characteristics are more often associated with parasympathetic activation:
Slower tempi (approximately 60–80 bpm)
Predictable rhythmic and phrase structure
Moderate dynamics
Harmonic stability and gradual change
More activating music can increase arousal and sympathetic activity. This is not inherently negative; for some individuals, gentle activation may be supportive. What matters is intentional selection and allowing time for the nervous system to integrate the experience.
If music consistently increases distress, dissociation, or emotional overwhelm, it may be helpful to pause and seek professional support.
Music, the Vagus Nerve, and Regulation
The vagus nerve plays a central role in regulating heart rate, digestion, breathing, and emotional state. Music does not stimulate the vagus nerve directly, but it can influence vagal activity indirectly through respiration, HRV, and perceived safety.
Through neuroception, the nervous system continually evaluates cues of safety or threat. Music that feels coherent, proportionate, and non-demanding may signal safety, allowing parasympathetic pathways to become more active.
This helps explain why music listening and voice work can feel grounding even when the reasons are difficult to articulate.
Using Classical Music as a Somatic Practice
Classical music is most supportive when used intentionally rather than passively.
Suggestions:
Choose one piece or movement (section of a larger work) and listen without multitasking
Sit or lie comfortably and allow the body to settle
Attend to bodily sensation rather than musical analysis
Allow breath, posture, or sound to respond naturally
If activation or numbness arises, choose simpler material or shorter durations
Music pairs well with journalling, art-making, gentle movement, breathwork, and voice-based wellbeing practices.
What the Research Actually Supports
Classical music is not a replacement for therapy, nor a universal solution. What research does support is its role as an accessible, low-risk regulation tool.
Across multiple studies, findings include:
Reduced blood pressure and heart rate with slow, calming music
Increased HRV during or after listening
Reduced subjective stress and anxiety
Measurable changes in autonomic markers
These effects are modest, cumulative, and context-dependent - precisely why they align well with somatic approaches.
Final Thoughts
Historical composers did not have access to neuroimaging or HRV monitoring, yet many understood that rhythm, structure, and proportion matter to listeners. Contemporary composers with access to neuroscience sometimes work explicitly with these principles, as in Max Richter’s Sleep, which was designed with long durations, slow harmonic change, and minimal disruption to support rest and regulation.
Modern research is now articulating what musicians, educators, and embodied practitioners have long sensed: that certain musical forms can support regulation, coherence, and emotional balance. You do not need to be a musician to benefit. You only need to listen, notice, and allow your body to respond in its own time. Sometimes, the nervous system simply needs the right soundscape to remember how to settle.
Selected Research Sources
Austin, D. (2008). The theory and practice of vocal psychotherapy: Songs of the self. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Brooke, S. L. (Ed.). (2006). Creative arts therapies manual: A guide to the history, theoretical approaches, assessment, and work with special populations. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
Ellis, R. J., & Thayer, J. F. (2010). Music and autonomic nervous system (dys)function. Music Perception, 27(4), 317–326. https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2010.27.4.317
Mojtabavi, H., Saghazadeh, A., Valenti, V. E., Rezaei, N., & Rahimi, F. (2020). Can music influence the cardiac autonomic system? A systematic review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 39, 101162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2020.101162
Porges, S. W. (2011). The polyvagal theory: Neurophysiological foundations of emotions, attachment, communication, and self-regulation. New York: Norton.
Ross, I., & Magsamen, S. (2023). Your brain on art: How the arts transform us. New York, NY: Penguin Press.
Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
Trappe, H.-J. (2010). The effects of music on the cardiovascular system and cardiovascular health. Heart, 96(23), 1868–1871. https://doi.org/10.1136/hrt.2010.209858
Uchiyama, J., Ikeda, T., Kanno, A., et al. (2022). Relaxing music reduces brain tissue pulsatility. Scientific Reports, 12, 1603. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05643-4
Vickhoff, B., Malmgren, H., Åström, R., Nyberg, G., Engvall, M., Snygg, J., … Jörnsten, R. (2013). Music structure determines heart rate variability of singers. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00334