Endometriosis Awareness Month - music and pain relief

No. 1 on the list: Britain’s favourite composer … Ralph Vaughan Williams. 
Photograph: by kind permission of the Ralph Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust

By Norman Lebrecht

Chicago, IL, February 2025 – Endometriosis Awareness Month highlights the chronic condition affecting 11% of American women, but everyone who menstruates deals with the monthly pain. As science looks into the relationship between music and pain relief, could a new playlist be the key to relieving cramps?

For many women, menstrual cramps are more than just a monthly inconvenience: they can disrupt daily life and impact overall well-being. But what if relief could be as simple as pressing “play” on your favorite playlist?

A recent study published in BMC Women’s Health explored the artistry effects of music and drawing as coping mechanisms for menstrual pain in nursing students. The results were promising, showing that listening to music not only alleviated menstrual pain but also helped reduce some of the emotional discomfort often associated with menstruation.

The science behind this finding is rooted in how music interacts with the brain. Research suggests that music activates the limbic system, a region responsible for processing both emotions and pain perception. This stimulation can reduce the transmission of pain signals, making menstrual cramps feel less intense. Furthermore, music has the ability to trigger the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers.

This healing power of music is supported by scientific research. A study published in the National Library of Medicine, titled Standardizing Music Characteristics for the Management of Pain, revealed that instrumental music, particularly without lyrics, is highly effective in relieving pain. The study examined music with specific features: no lyrics, little percussion, no nature sounds, and a tempo of around 60-80 beats per minute (bpm). While each of these features contributed to pain relief, the absence of lyrics consistently showed the strongest results across studies.

Recognizing music’s ability to heal and uplift, U by Kotex® has curated a playlist of 20 classical tracks to help you relax during your period and navigate the ups and downs of your cycle.

#	Composer	Song title	BPM
1	Vaughan Williams	Greensleeves	80
2	Rosetti	Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, RWV E3: II. Andante	79
3	Mozart	Sonata No. 8 in A minor, II. Andante cantabile	78
4	Claude Debussy	The girl with the flaxen hair	76
5	Ennio Morricone	Gabriel’s Oboe	76
6	Bach	Air on the G string	74
7	Léo Delibes	Flower Duet	72
8	Jules Massenet	Méditation	72
9	Pachelbel’s	Canon in D	72
10	Yiruma	River’s Flow in You	69
11	Robert Schumann	Träumerei	66
12	Craig Armstrong	Romeo and Julie Balcony Scene	65
13	Erik Satie	Gymnopedie No. 1	64
14	Saint-Saëns	The Swan	60
15	Johann Strauss II	The Blue Danube Waltz	58

#	Composer	Song title	BPM
1	Vaughan Williams	Greensleeves	80
2	Rosetti	Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major, RWV E3: II. Andante	79
3	Mozart	Sonata No. 8 in A minor, II. Andante cantabile	78
4	Claude Debussy	The girl with the flaxen hair	76
5	Ennio Morricone	Gabriel’s Oboe	76
6	Bach	Air on the G string	74
7	Léo Delibes	Flower Duet	72
8	Jules Massenet	Méditation	72
9	Pachelbel’s	Canon in D	72
10	Yiruma	River’s Flow in You	69
11	Robert Schumann	Träumerei	66
12	Craig Armstrong	Romeo and Julie Balcony Scene	65
13	Erik Satie	Gymnopedie No. 1	64
14	Saint-Saëns	The Swan	60
15	Johann Strauss II	The Blue Danube Waltz	58
16	Beethoven	Moonlight Sonata (1st Movement	58
17	Tchaikovsky	Swan Lake Act 2, No.10	58
18	Johannes Brahms	Lullaby	56
19	Mahler	Adagietto Symphony No. 5	54
20	Arvo Pärt	Spiegel I’m Spiegel	54

 

*Listed in order of BPM (beats per minute), from highest to lowest*

First published at Slipped Disc, February 8, 2025