Playing live music, helps to sooth premature babies who are being nursed in incubators, claim Israeli researchers in a new study.
According to the BBC, the researchers found that babies slept more deeply and had a reduced heart rate after hearing a female voice and harp piece live.
They advised that neonatal units should use live music, such as mothers singing lullabies, to help babies.
“It could be that the live music is different to recorded music in its timbre, its echo, and other variables that could influence the baby,” lead researcher Dr Shmuel Arnon was quoted as saying.
“I think music should be played in neonatal intensive care units. Babies would benefit from around half an hour’s music a day,” he added.
The study was recently presented at a conference of the British Psychological Society in Leeds.