Sing your way to happiness

Singing is not only fun, it offers an antitode to stress, illness and depression.

“When you sing, you breathe in a different way so you use more of your total lung volume. This means there’s a tendency to increase the airflow so your blood is more oxygenated. When that happens, you are more alert. Singing also exercises the cardio-vascular system, and gives you the kind of hormonal release that comes from being focused on a task and enjoying that task at the same time.”

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“People who are very stressed or anxious tend to be ‘upper-rib breathers’, who are prone to problems of hyperventilating, and suffer from increased muscle tension in the body.” In such cases, singing can help patients use their diaphragms more, which allows for better function in the body, less tension and stress, and a general sense of wellbeing: “The tension in the body relaxes, creating better muscular tone and strengthening immunity.”

What was the last song you sang?