Under the bright lights of a Delhi operating theatre, a woman lies still as surgeons prepare to remove her gallbladder. She sleeps under general anaesthesia, her body paralysed and her mind unconscious. Yet soft flute music flows through headphones resting over her ears. Even as anaesthetic drugs quiet most of her brain, her auditory pathways remain active. When she awakens, she recovers faster and clearer because she required lower doses of propofol and opioid painkillers than patients who heard no music. Researchers from Maulana Azad Medical College and Lok Nayak Hospital show that music can reduce drug use and improve surgical recovery.
Music enters the operating theatre
The study, published in Music and Medicine, focused on laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a keyhole procedure to remove the gallbladder. This short surgery requires rapid, alert recovery. “Our aim is early discharge after surgery,” says Dr Farah Husain, senior anaesthetist and certified music therapist. “Patients need to wake clear-headed, alert, and pain-free. Proper pain management also reduces the body’s stress response.” Anaesthesia uses five or six drugs to keep patients asleep, block pain, prevent memory, and relax muscles. Surgeons often add regional nerve blocks to numb the abdominal wall. “General anaesthesia plus blocks is standard,” says Dr Tanvi Goel, primary investigator. “We have used this approach for decades.”
The body reacts under unconsciousness
Even unconscious, the body responds to surgery. Heart rates rise, blood pressure spikes, and stress hormones surge. Dr Husain explains that managing this reaction reduces inflammation and speeds recovery. Stress begins before the first incision, with intubation. Anaesthesiologists insert a breathing tube using a laryngoscope, lifting the tongue and soft tissues to guide it into the trachea. “Laryngoscopy and intubation trigger the strongest stress response,” says Dr Sonia Wadhawan, director of anaesthesia at Maulana Azad Medical College. “Patients remember nothing, but their bodies react with elevated heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones.”
Music lowers anaesthetic doses
Anaesthetic drugs have evolved. Old ether masks have disappeared, replaced by intravenous agents like propofol. “Propofol acts within about 12 seconds,” says Dr Goel. “We prefer it for short surgeries because it avoids the hangover caused by inhaled gases.” Researchers tested whether music could reduce propofol and fentanyl doses. Lower drug use means faster awakening, steadier vital signs, and fewer side effects. A pilot study with eight patients led to an 11-month trial of 56 adults aged 20 to 45. All received the same five-drug regimen and wore noise-cancelling headphones. Only one group listened to calming instrumental music, either flute or piano.
Music soothes the mind and body
“The unconscious mind remains active,” says Dr Husain. “Even if patients do not remember the music, implicit awareness creates benefits.” Patients exposed to music required lower doses of propofol and fentanyl. They experienced smoother recoveries, lower cortisol levels, and more stable blood pressure during surgery. “Since the ability to hear persists under anaesthesia, music can still shape the brain’s internal state,” the researchers write. “The auditory pathway remains active even while unconscious,” says Dr Wadhawan. “The brain registers the music, even if patients cannot recall it.”
Humanising surgical care
Scientists have long studied the unconscious mind during surgery. Rare cases of intraoperative awareness show patients remembering fragments of operating-room events. If the brain can register stressful moments, it can also register positive experiences, such as music. “We are beginning to explore how the unconscious mind responds to non-drug interventions,” says Dr Husain. “Music humanises the operating room.” Music therapy has long aided psychiatry, stroke recovery, and palliative care. Its presence in anaesthesia marks a shift toward patient-centred care.
Small intervention, lasting impact
Even modest reductions in drug use improve recovery, suggesting hospitals may rethink surgical care. The research team plans further studies on music-aided sedation, building on these results. One conclusion stands out: even when the body is still and the mind sleeps, gentle music helps the healing process begin.
