The Benefits of Singing
April 24, 2016
Guest Blog by Caroline Storey, South Coast Hypnotherapy
Did you know that singing can have huge benefits to your health? There is your brain health (see my previous blog post HERE for that one), but also your physical and emotional health. A lot of it is to do with all that oxygen you take in while you’re singing. In fact, I have had two clients recently who I have used singing with. One had an anxiety-caused stammer, the other has Tourettes. Both can now use singing as a chance to be ‘problem’ free, as both the stammer and the Tourettes reduced significantly when singing, due to the breathing control, brain activity, confidence and plain old distraction.
Relaxation
Think of someone you know who suffers with anxiety, or panic attacks. When you see them mid-attack, their breathing is shallow and rapid. Breathing automatically gets shallow and rapid to try and take in more oxygen when the body constricts full lung capacity (such as when anxious, and all muscles become tense). Although this is a natural physiological response, it then tricks the brain into panicking more, because it fears it isn’t getting enough oxygen – as if you didn’t have enough to worry about mid-panic attack!
The action of taking a deep breath automatically relaxes your diaphragm, shoulders and chest muscles. This in turn makes you stand more upright, allowing you to feel and look more confident. Singing encourages you to take a confident stance to ensure you’re getting enough oxygen into your body, or perhaps it is the other way round?
Singing is also brilliant for your skin.
We release 70% of toxins when breathing out fully after an in-breath. The more toxins that are released from your body, the better your skin looks. Oxygenated blood makes you look pink and glowing. The other 30% of toxins can be helped out with drinking water – another essential for when you’re singing to ensure your vocal membranes don’t dry out!
Fight Infections
Also, the oxygenation in your blood happens by the oxygen hitching a lift to the haemoglobin, which attaches to your red blood cells. When there is more haemoglobin, there is more chance of metabolising nutrients and vitamins from food. This means that you can fight more infections, without having to use your white blood cells.
Digestion and Weight Loss
Singing can help relieve constipation. I’m not making this up, I swear, Girl Guides honour! As you breathe in, your diaphragm pushes downwards and inwards, massaging (if you want to be that poetic, ‘pushing against’ if you don’t…) your small intestine and stomach. Doing this lots can, well, shift things. It also aids digestion, because everything operates better when it is oxygenated, unless you’re going to attempt singing without taking a breath….
Oh, and it’s great if you’re trying to lose weight, because the action of singing stimulates the thyroid, which balances your metabolism!
Memory
Singing is brilliant for keeping your mind active. Have you ever thought about the process of learning a song? As well as learning the melody, words, timing and language, you also have to do all of that at once, whilst swallowing, breathing, and producing the right noise. In fact, the Alzheimer’s Society offer weekly singing groups throughout the UK for people with dementia because of the benefits it has for stimulating the brain, and encouraging articulation and social interaction.
Confidence
But sometimes, it’s about having the confidence to get up there and sing, wherever you’re ‘up there’ is. It could be singing in front of your partner, your children, joining a choir, open mic night or even more professionally. If the thought of any of these situations give you the wobbles, come and get it sorted. There are SO MANY benefits to singing (believe me, I had to cut this down by 400 words, and I could have still gone on!), don’t let something as easy to change as confidence stand in your way.
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About the author
Caroline Storey is owner of South Coast Hypnotherapy, a cognitive hypnotherapy practice to help you understand your mind and make it work the way you want it to.
Contact her on change@southcoasthypnotherapy.net for a no-pressure chat to see how we can help.
Guest Blog by Caroline Storey, 2 of 3
Caroline Storey is owner of South Coast Hypnotherapy, a cognitive hypnotherapy practice to help you understand your mind and make it work the way you want it to. Contact her on change@southcoasthypnotherapy.net for a no-pressure chat to see how we can help.