Singing and Health
Introduction[edit | edit source]
Singing is found in all human cultures around the world; it often occurs in social settings such as religious ceremonies and even some sporting events such as football matches, and of course there are many dedicated communal singing groups/choirs in every country. Parents sing to their babies, people sing birthday greetings, the new year is often welcomed with a communal song, so there is no doubt that singing and music is embedded within all societies.
We know that music-making developed approx 40,000 years ago in the upper Paleolithic period of the stone age due to an exciting archelogical find in Germany, near the Danube[1]: several flutes made from the radius bone of vultures, with finger holes precisely incised and a notch at one end where they were blown. Radiocarbon dating indicates they come from the Upper Paleolithic period; this was a creative period and we have evidence of many cave paintings, carvings and engravings dating from this time.
Physical/Physiological Effects of Singing[edit | edit source]
Brain Function[edit | edit source]
In the brain, music making (both singing and playing musical instruments) results in multiple motor, sensory, cognitive, emotional and social processes all interacting, employing both coriical and subcortical regions of the brain[2][3]. One enterprising study utilised fMRI and demonstrated that "rhythm and tonality in music recruit limbic regions as well as cognitive and somatomotor areas"[3]. Another study reports that "reward value for music can be coded by activity levels in the nucleus accumbens, whose functional connectivity with auditory and frontal areas increases as a function of increasing musical reward. We propose that pleasure in music arises from interactions between cortical loops that enable predictions and expectancies to emerge from sound patterns and subcortical systems responsible for reward and valuation"[4].
Respiratory Function[edit | edit source]
Intuitively it is easy to assume that singing, involving as it does the whole respiratory system, is likely to be an effective way to improve respiratory function in people with conditions such as COPD[5], asthma[6], emphysema, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis etc. Yet, many studies conducted to date do not show statistically signifiant changes in lung function, such as Peak Flow, FEV1 or FVC. One recent meta-study concludes: "Singing for respiratory health remains promising but inconclusive at this stage"[7].
Posture[edit | edit source]
Muscle Tension[edit | edit source]
Cardiac Function and Heart Rate Variability[edit | edit source]
Studies have found that heart rate variability [HRV] is affected by singing, such that variability is increased during singing activities, and that singing produces slow, regular and deep respiration[8]. Coupling of heart rate variability (HRV) to respiration, known as Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia [RSA], is known be beneficial for cardiovascular function, and to have a subjective as well as a biologically soothing effect, which can result in lowering of blood pressure[9][10],
Immunological Effects[edit | edit source]
A number of studies have investigated the effects of singing on the immune system, and report that after singing the levels of salivary immunoglobulin A are increased[11][12].
Psychobiological Effects of Singing[edit | edit source]
Dementia[edit | edit source]
Effects of Mood[edit | edit source]
Self Confidence and Self Esteem[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Conard N J; Malina M; Munzel SC. (2009). New flutes document the earlist musical tradition in southwestern Germany". Nature 460 (7256): 737-40.
- ↑ Zatorre R.J., & Salimpoor V.N. (2013). From perception to pleasure: Music and its neural substrates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110, 10430–10437. pmid:23754373
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Alluri V., Toiviainen P., Jääskeläinen I. P., Glerean E., Sams M., & Brattico E. (2012). Large-scale brain networks emerge from dynamic processing of musical timbre, key and rhythm. NeuroImage, 59, 3677–3689. pmid:22116038
- ↑ Zatorre RJ, Salimpoor VN. From perception to pleasure: music and its neural substrates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013 Jun 18;110 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):10430-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1301228110. Epub 2013 Jun 10. PMID: 23754373; PMCID: PMC3690607.
- ↑ I Morrison, SM Clift, A UK feasibility study on the value of singing for people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) September 2011 to June 2012: Ian Morrison, European Journal of Public Health, Volume 23, Issue suppl_1, October 2013, ckt123.059, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckt123.059
- ↑ Wade, Leanne M. January 2002 A Comparison of the Effects of Vocal Exercises/Singing Versus Music-Assisted Relaxation on Peak Expiratory Flow Rates of Children with Asthma. Music Therapy Perspectives 20(1):31-37 DOI:10.1093/mtp/20.1.31<footer></footer>
- ↑ Mary L. Gick and Jennifer J. Nicol. (2015) Singing for respiratory health: theory, evidence and challenges. Health Promotion International 2015, 1-10doi: 10.1093
- ↑ Cardiac and respiratory patterns synchronize between persons during choir singing. Müller V, Lindenberger U PLoS One. 2011; 6(9):e24893.
- ↑ The effects of specific respiratory rates on heart rate and heart rate variability. Song HS, Lehrer PM Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback. 2003 Mar; 28(1):13-23.
- ↑ RESPeRATE: nonpharmacological treatment of hypertension. Sharma M, Frishman WH, Gandhi K Cardiol Rev. 2011 Mar-Apr; 19(2):47-51.
- ↑ Beck, R. (2000). Choral Singing, Performance Perception, and Immune System Changes in Salivary Immunoglobulin A and Cortisol. UC Irvine: Center for Learning in the Arts, Sciences and Sustainability. Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1qf5f7bc
- ↑ Kreutz, G., Bongard, S., Rohrmann, S. et al. Effects of Choir Singing or Listening on Secretory Immunoglobulin A, Cortisol, and Emotional State. J Behav Med 27, 623–635 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-004-0006-9
