Perhaps more importantly, it found that the fluctuations in these chemicals correlated with each other to varying degrees, indicating that the music therapy was affecting the larger natural process by which the brain regulates their levels. In particular, other studies have indicated that norepinephrine and epinephrine may play a role in determining melatonin levels. According to Dr. Kumar, this observation may point to valuable insights for the general public. In recent years, the use of commercially available melatonin supplements to regulate sleep has become a popular response to insomnia and jet lag. However, he noted, using a pill to address only one element in the symphony of brain chemicals could disrupt homeostasis, the body's natural tendency to keep things in balance.
Hormones are interdependent.
When you take a pill like melatonin, it will stop its own synthesis in your body. None of the subjects was taking antidepressants or any other medication that affected the brain chemicals measured in the study. In small groups of four to six patients each, the subjects underwent music therapy sessions of 30 to 40 minutes, five days a week, for four weeks. After an opening song incorporating the name of each participating patient, each session included singing favorite musical selections from the era of the subjects' youth, playing handheld drums and improvising to various tunes. Using assays of blood samples, levels of the chemicals under study were checked before the therapy began, the morning after it ended, and six weeks after it ended.