We all have our favourite singers and styles of music that we enjoy listening to and occasionally singing along to, but did you know that the minute you open your mouth and take part it’s good for you both mentally and physically? Singing provides similar benefits to practising meditation and yoga – it’s good for clearing the mind, breathing and even your core strength! What’s more, this is the case regardless of whether you are a trained opera singer or a tone deaf shower singer!
I used to have singing lessons in primary school and I loved them but stopped when I moved to high school because I didn’t think it was “cool” anymore – so silly! However a bit over a year ago (now I’ve finished university), I began having lessons again and it has made a huge impact on my life, balancing out other activities such as work and challenging my brain in a different way as I improve my skill level! I absolutely love it – singing has had a huge positive impact on my life! So I thought I’d share with you why this might be based on some brief research and hopefully I’ll convince you to sing more too!
Singing is good for your mind! When you sing you tend to focus on the song or, in wellness terms, you practise mindfulness, being in the present moment. Singing triggers endorphins that listening to music alone does not and this often results in a feeling of elation. Think about it, when you start singing along to a song it’s usually accompanied by positive emotions – how often do you sing along to a song that you dislike? Singing also releases oxytocin which is a hormone that has been found to alleviate anxiety and stress.
Studies have found that singing has a positive impact on mental wellness and lessens feelings of loneliness and depression. One study has found that singing in a choir or other group setting results in the group bonding more quickly than other groups. This is probably because it takes more courage to sing in front of other people than most other activities – but once you do it, it breaks down social barriers!
Singing and other musical training has also been shown to enhance literacy skills such as reading, which is why music forms part of most primary school syllabi. It can also aid the redevelopment of speech in patients who have suffered a stroke. The reason for this is that we use a different area of the brain for singing to the one we use for talking. Putting words to a tune may allow them to be transposed to speech.
Physically there are a number of benefits to singing. Firstly, it improves your breathing. To sing a song you have to control your breath, exhaling for different lengths of time while sustaining a note – which is not an easy thing to do for a whole song consistently without practise. Consequently singing helps you to access the full capacity of your lungs which very few people do in regular speech. This in turn helps relieve some of the effects of asthma, or at leasts helps asthma sufferers breathe more easily.
Another physical benefit of singing is that it is amazing for your core strength! The minute you start singing, your core muscles activate. The longer you hold a note, the more air you are pushing out to sustain the note and consequently, the harder your muscles work. Singing builds up your core strength slowly and painlessly but just as effectively as many core exercises – but way less effort!
So in short, singing is super good for you and super enjoyable! And now I’m totally justified in singing loudly in the car, even though I’m well aware that people at the lights can see and hear me! Everyone should sing more! Sing in the shower, in the car, around the house, wherever you like because it’s good for your mind, body and soul! xx