Is there truth to the stereotype?
Singing increases the levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody that helps you fend off infections and disease.
Even just singing along with music, as well as simply listening to it, reduces other stress hormones.
However, the level of cortisol doesn’t decrease after singing if the person is in a stressful environment.
Singing, as well as drumming and dancing, releases hormones that decrease pain in a way that just listening to music doesn’t.
The decrease in how much pain we experience caused by singing is in some way connected to a connection with other people.
When people improve their breathing when they’re conscious it can decrease the amount that they snore at night. Singing in choirs has been prescribed for snoring.
Snoring isn’t the only way that singing helps the respiratory system–it is also helpful in managing the symptoms of many conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and quadriplegia.
When you sing with other people, you’re likely to form a bond with them, much like you would if you were on a sports team. Children who are part of singing programs are likely to feel a strong sense of engagement and inclusion.
Singing may increase your immune system and make your body better able to fight off disease.
Incredibly, singing is helpful to people who suffer from certain types of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Singing doesn’t just decrease how much physical pain people feel–it also helps people deal with emotional pain.
Because to learn how to sing in a choir one must learn certain breathing techniques, it can affect how people breathe when they’re not singing too.
Singing has been shown to improve people’s ability to speak. Singing can help people with a stutter speak more fluidly, for example.
To practice singing, it’s very simple. If you don’t want to be part of a choir, just hop in the car and take a drive. Just you, the road, and the radio. Of course, that's just one example.
Try singing in the shower. It’s such a cliché, but it makes you feel good and improves your health too.
Singing in groups has been shown to improve people’s mental health, sense of well-being, mood, and feeling of belonging.
The best thing about singing being amazing for our mental and physical health is that almost anyone can do it.
Sources: (Healthline)
See also: How being kind is good for our health
You could book a lesson with a singing teacher if you’re not comfortable enough to start by yourself. You certainly will improve.
It helps by activating many different areas of the brain, helping people to pronounce words better, and improving rhythm.
As people learn to sing better in a choir, like with most types of learning their self-esteem improves.
Singing is utilized in music therapy, which is an entire world of science amongst itself.
The level of cortisol in the mouth decreases whether people are singing alone or in a group.
The level of cortisol in people’s mouths is lower after singing. This hormone is what makes us feel stressed.
Singing in a big or small group makes the body release endorphins.
For instance, singing certain songs can help them to remember certain times in their lives.
It can also help people who struggle with speaking due to neurological conditions like autism, Parkinson’s disease, and aphasia following a stroke.
Music therapy offers benefits like improving respiration, lowering blood pressure, improved cardiac output, reduced heart rate, and relaxed muscle tension.
We know that singing makes us feel good. But is it really good for our health? Well, the science is in on how singing benefits our mental and physical health in more ways than one, and its positive effects are astounding.
When we sing, our stress melts away, our lung function improves, and singing even helps to better memory in people with dementia. Intrigued? To learn more about the health benefits of singing, click through this gallery.
The many health benefits of singing
The science behind it
HEALTH Music
We know that singing makes us feel good. But is it really good for our health? Well, the science is in on how singing benefits our mental and physical health in more ways than one, and its positive effects are astounding.
When we sing, our stress melts away, our lung function improves, and singing even helps to better memory in people with dementia. Intrigued? To learn more about the health benefits of singing, click through this gallery.