Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in two phases. Phase one of the study was conducted to classify musical selections (some music composed by the 2nd author) by nurses for phase two. Phase 1 asked nurses to listen to a series of recorded musical examples and to rate each example on a visual analogue scale. Phase 2, purposive sampling was used to recruit 60 nurses who were scheduled for listening to stimulated or sedative or rest for 30 minutes respectively. Using three-group pretest-post test design, 60 subjects were randomly assigned to each group. There were 20 subjects in each group. After a stressful task, subjects in the stimulated music group or sedative music group listened to selected-stimulated music or selected-sedative music by headphones throughout 30 minutes. In the rest group subjects sat quietly for 30 minutes. Using a repeated measures design with a pretest and three posttests, subjects' heart rate, blood pressure, interleukin-6, interleukin-10, TNFalpha, and test anxiety were measured with BP monitor, chemillumincent immunoassay, Rate Nephelometry, ELISA, and Test Anxiety Inventory respectively before the study and the end of a stressful task and the end of the whole procedure.

Results: The study Data was analyzed for the heart rate, blood pressure, immunological markers as well as stress scores. Hypotheses were tested using repeated measures ANCOVA. The study results confirmed the effect of music on systolic blood pressure, interleukin-6, interleukin-10 (all p < 0.01).

Conclusion: The findings provided evidence of music on psychoimmunology. Nurses are able to provide evidence-based music intervention in patients who are undergoing stress.