The Influence of Stress Noise and Music Stimulation on the Autonomous Nervous System

Music sound has shown to affect brain function and cardiac activity. Based on this premise, this study examines the effects of sound stimulation, such as music and stress noise, on the balance of the autonomous nervous system (ANS). To monitor such effects, physiological data was collected from a group of volunteers to analyze pulse rate variability (PRV), as well as electrodermal activity (EDA). The final goals of this study are supported by the possibility of automatically integrating musical stimuli into a smart environment to potentially lower individual’s stress levels, as well as to improve their well-being. To accomplish this objective, this research involved three different phases. The first was based on the development of a biomedical wearable sensor for measuring PRV and its validation using a reference sensing system. Good correlation results were obtained between both devices. The second consisted of a preliminary study of the effects of ambient, classical, and metal music on PRV. Significant variations of PRV were measured between the three music genres. Considering the obtained results in the previous phase and overcoming the limitations presented in it, the third phase was based on a more in-depth study of the effects of musical stimuli and noise stress, through PRV analysis and the measurement of galvanic skin response (GSR). The obtained results suggested that noise stress contributes to the increase of sympathetic activity. In contrast, ambient music proved to be very effective in increasing parasympathetic activity and stabilizing comfort levels.