Tuning In: How Music Influences Hormones, Mood, and Balance

Tuning In: How Music Influences Hormones, Mood, and Balance

Key Takeaways

  • Music can directly impact your hormones like cortisol, dopamine, and oxytocin.

  • The right playlist can help reduce stress, lift your mood, and even balance your energy.

  • Choosing music intentionally can become part of your daily hormone-support ritual.

  • We’ve created 7 curated playlists on Spotify under Botanical Balance , ready for every moment of your day.

What This Means for You

You know those songs that give you goosebumps or make you cry out of nowhere? That’s not just nostalgia, it’s your brain physically responding. Music isn’t just background noise; it’s a hormonal cue.

When we listen to music we love, especially something calming or upbeat, our brain responds by adjusting hormone levels. Think:

  • Less cortisol (the stress hormone),

  • More dopamine (your reward chemical),

  • More oxytocin (the connection hormone),

  • And even a shift in estrogen and testosterone patterns in women during perimenopause and menopause.

This means the right music can help support emotional resilience, calm the nervous system, and gently guide your body back to balance.

That’s exactly why we’ve created 7 Botanical Balance Spotify playlists—each one designed for a different mood or moment:

  • Nature's Embrace – A sanctuary inspired by the healing rhythms of the natural worlds. Nature's Embrace offers calming forest sounds, ocean waves, birdsong, and tranquil instrumentals to ground you in stillness. Whether you're meditation. journaling, or simply breathing, this is your quiet place,.

  • Hormonal Harmony – Created to hold space for every emotional wave, this playlist supports you through hormonal shifts and is a blend of empowering anthems and gentle affirmations, music to lift your spirit, sooth your heart, and remind you of your strength,

  • Evening Unwind – A tender retreat for your soul at the close of day. "Evening Unwind" wraps you in a cocoon of soothing melodies and slow rhythms, perfect for releasing tension and preparing you body and mind for restorative rest. lest each track ease you gently into calm, comforted and complete peace.

  • Calm & Grounded – A soft sanctuary of ambient tones and acoustic warmth. This playlist is designed to sooth anxiety, quiet the mind, and bring you back to center. Let nature's rhythm guide you into stillness.

  • Botanical Balance Office Vibes – A serene mix of earthy instrumentals, light vocals, and natural sounds. Cultivate a peaceful and focused environment for your workspace or studio.

  • Morning Radiance – Start your day with light, uplifting melodies and positive energy. A gentle sonic sunrise that invites joy, hope, and reediness for whatever lies ahead.

  • Focus & Flow – Gentle instrumental blends and peaceful beats to enhance mental clarity. Ideal for work, creative moments, or whenever you need to reset your focus and move with ease.

Just press play. Let your nervous system exhale.

The Science Behind It

Cortisol & Stress Relief
Listening to relaxing music has been shown to lower salivary cortisol levels, especially in women going through hormonal changes. In clinical studies, participants exposed to calming music had significantly lower stress markers and reported improved emotional wellbeing.

Dopamine Release
That little rush you feel when a good beat drops? That’s dopamine—the “feel-good” chemical. It helps regulate motivation, pleasure, and even concentration. Music triggers the brain’s reward system in the same way chocolate or hugging someone does.

Oxytocin & Emotional Connection
Music that resonates emotionally can increase oxytocin, the hormone of connection. Whether you’re dancing with friends or just tearing up during a solo moment—music builds emotional bridges, even within yourself.

Heart Rate, Brain Waves, and Hormone Synchrony
Music with a tempo of around 60 bpm has been shown to synchronise brainwaves to a relaxed alpha state—the same state associated with meditation. This shift supports:

  • Reduced adrenaline,

  • Better sleep patterns,

  • Improved hormone regulation (especially cortisol, progesterone, and melatonin).

Hormonal Shifts in Perimenopause & Menopause
During menopause, our emotional sensitivity heightens as estrogen and progesterone fluctuate. Music can act like a hormonal stabiliser, especially when used as a form of intentional daily practice. By choosing what we listen to.

Ready to Reset?

Your body already knows how to heal and re-balance, you just need the right tools to support it. One of the most beautiful and effortless ones? Music.

That’s why we created these 7 Botanical Balance Spotify playlists for you.
They’re here whenever you need to feel calm, supported, energised, or simply you again.

Just click here and you will be taken to our playlist so you can start tuning in to your hormonal harmony.

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