If you love to sing, you’re in luck. Research shows that using your voice comes with a surprising range of health benefits. From improving lung function to helping you relax, there are plenty of good reasons to belt out your favorite tunes—even if you’re slightly off-key.
Singing stimulates the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain through the throat and vocal cords to organs throughout the body. As part of the parasympathetic nervous system, it helps regulate breathing, heart rate, and digestion. Research suggests that stronger vagal tone is linked to better physical and mental health, as well as a faster return to calm after stress.
Reducing stress through singing is even linked to strengthening the immune system by increasing beneficial antibodies. And singing has also been found to help reduce pain and improve people’s heart rate and blood pressure. One study even suggests that singing can give the heart and lungs a workout similar to a brisk walk on a treadmill.
One of the most striking benefits of singing is its potential to support brain recovery after injury. This was seen in the case of Gabrielle Giffords, who used familiar songs from childhood as part of speech therapy after surviving a gunshot wound to the head in 2011. Singing helped her gradually regain verbal fluency over time.
Similar techniques are now used with stroke survivors, as singing provides the repetition needed to rebuild connections between the brain’s hemispheres. It is also thought to support neuroplasticity, helping the brain rewire itself and form new neural pathways. Research shows that singing can even help people with Parkinson’s improve speech clarity.
One recent study showed that singing also helped people with long Covid. After six weeks of working with professional singers in the English National Opera, participants reported fewer breathing difficulties and better overall wellbeing.
“For some people, living with breathlessness can result in them changing the way they breathe, so that it becomes irregular and inefficient,” says Keir Philip, a clinical lecturer in respiratory medicine at Imperial College London. “Some singing-based approaches help this in terms of the muscles used, the rhythm, and the depth [of breathing], which can help improve symptoms.”
While the physical benefits of singing are fascinating on their own, the social side of singing has also been shown to play a powerful role in our health. Singing in groups, in particular, is linked to higher levels of psychological wellbeing than singing alone. Researchers studying community choirs for cancer, stroke survivors, people living with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, and their caregivers have found that group singing can reduce feelings of isolation, improve mood, and even foster stronger immune systems.
So, don’t worry if you don’t have perfect pitch. Turn up the music and sing. Your body might thank you for it.
Source: Why singing is surprisingly good for your health
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