Why staying at home and listening to a CD might be the best way of dealing with stress

Listening to relaxing music could be just as good for relieving stress as an expensive massage or thermotherapy. Scientists from the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle divided 68 people suffering from anxiety into three groups. One group had massage, one group had thermotherapy - where hot pads and towels are wrapped around people's arms and legs to reduce muscle tension - and a third group lay in a dimly-lit room listening to relaxing music. After ten sessions all three groups reported a decline in their anxiety of about 40% with a 50% decline three months later. However, the massage and thermotherapy sessions can cost up to £90 an hour.

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