Key result
Music with binaural beats reduces systolic blood pressure by ~6 mmHg compared to music alone.
Why the study?
Work-related stress contributes significantly to cardiovascular risk, requiring effective and convenient non-pharmacological interventions. The short-term hemodynamic efficacy of a web-based prototype delivering music and superimposed binaural beats (SBB) was investigated to inform a larger study.
Does a 15-minute web-based digital intervention delivering music with superimposed binaural beats reduce systolic blood pressure and improve heart rate variability compared to music alone in highly stressed office workers?
RCT (n=28)
Randomized crossover order
Does a 15-minute web-based digital intervention delivering music with superimposed binaural beats reduce systolic blood pressure and improve heart rate variability compared to music alone in highly stressed office workers?
Short-term exposure to music embedded with superimposed binaural beats acutely reduces systolic blood pressure in highly stressed office workers compared to music alone.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
May offer a brief non-pharmacological option for acute SBP reduction in stressed workers; extends music-based interventions to binaural beats.
Work-related stress is a significant contributor to cardiovascular risk, necessitating effective and convenient non-pharmacological interventions. This preliminary randomized crossover study investigated the short-term hemodynamic efficacy of a web-based prototype delivering music and superimposed binaural beats (SBB) to inform larger study. Twenty-eight highly stressed office workers (mean and standard deviation of Perceived stress scale-10: 26.5 ± 4.9) completed two 15-minute interventions in randomized order: music with SBB and identical music alone, separated by a 10-minute washout. Primary outcomes were changes in Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Heart Rate variability (HRV), alongside secondary outcomes of user feedback. The SBB intervention showed a statistically significant change in SBP compared to the music only condition (median change: -6 mmHg [IQR -11 to 11] vs. 0 mmHg [IQR -5 to 4]; P= 0.024). No statistically significant differences were observed for DBP, HR, or HRV indices. While the System Usability Scale suggested improvement, user satisfaction was rated high (mean 7.4/10). In conclusion, short-term exposure to SBB-embedded music demonstrated acute efficacy in reducing SBP among stressed personnel, supporting the prototype's utilization for immediate physiological stress regulation and providing proof-of-concept data to guide long term, larger-scale clinical trials.
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Kuvijitsuwan et al. (2026) conducted an RCT in Work-related stress (n=28). Web-based music with superimposed binaural beats (SBB) vs. Identical music alone was evaluated on Changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and heart rate variability (HRV) (p=0.024). Music with superimposed binaural beats significantly reduced systolic blood pressure compared to music alone (-6 mmHg vs. 0 mmHg; P=0.024), with no significant difference in HRV.
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