Key result
Music at 120 BPM significantly accelerates post-exercise heart rate recovery compared to no music.
Why the study?
Sudden cardiac death during or after intense exercise is a major concern, and music tempo may influence post-exercise autonomic recovery measured by heart rate variability.
Does BPM-specific music improve post-exercise heart rate and heart rate variability recovery in male collegiate sprinters?
RCT (n=265)
Computer-generated random-number sequence
No
Does BPM-specific music improve post-exercise heart rate and heart rate variability recovery in male collegiate sprinters?
p-value: p=0.001
Listening to music at 120 BPM during recovery from high-intensity exercise may facilitate favorable autonomic recovery in male collegiate sprinters.
120 BPM music may support faster autonomic recovery in sprinters; leaves open whether tempo interventions improve clinical outcomes or require RCTs.
Background Sudden cardiac death (SCD) during or immediately after intense exercise remains a major concern in sports medicine. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key indicator of autonomic regulation, and music tempo may influence post-exercise autonomic recovery. This study investigated the effects of different music tempo conditions, expressed as beats per minute (BPM), on heart rate (HR) and HRV recovery in collegiate sprinters following high-intensity exercise. Methods Among 300 initially selected male collegiate sprinters, 265 eligible participants were included in the final analysis and randomly allocated to either a no-music control group or one of nine music intervention groups listening to music ranging from 50 to 130 BPM during recovery. Participants completed a high-intensity Wingate-style anaerobic cycling test. HR and HRV were assessed at baseline and during recovery at 0–1, 5–6, and 15–16 min after exercise. Data were analyzed using two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc correction. Results No significant between-group differences were observed in baseline HRV indices or anaerobic performance variables ( p > 0.05). Significant time × group interactions were identified for HR, low-frequency (LF) power, and high-frequency (HF) power. The 120 BPM condition demonstrated comparatively favorable recovery responses, including lower HR values and beneficial autonomic modulation during recovery. However, 120 BPM was not consistently superior across all HRV parameters or recovery time points, and the 130 BPM condition showed comparable effects for several HRV indices. Conclusion Under the present experimental conditions, music at 120 BPM was associated with relatively favorable autonomic recovery following high-intensity exercise. Nevertheless, this tempo should not be considered universally optimal. The potential role of BPM-specific music interventions in reducing SCD risk requires further investigation.
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Chen et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Post-exercise recovery (n=265). Music at different tempos (50-130 BPM) vs. No music was evaluated on Post-exercise heart rate (HR) recovery (p=0.001). Listening to music at 120 BPM following high-intensity exercise was associated with a relatively favorable autonomic recovery profile, including significantly improved heart rate recovery trajectories (p=0.001).
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