Different types of music can benefit you in different ways - slow tempo music can help you sleep, whereas upbeat music is a great mood booster. Now research by Pavia University in Italy has identified operatic music can help lower blood pressure. Participants listened to different styles of classical music and their bodily changes were monitored. Crescendos (gradual increase in volume) increased heart rates, blood pressure and respiratory rates, whereas decrescendos (gradual decrease in volume) slowed heart rates and lowered blood pressure. Their research found that the most beneficial music for the heart was operatic music which alternated between fast and slow and most beneficial to the heart and circulation was Verdi's arias.