5 Surprising Benefits of Singing

People love to sing! Whether you sing in the shower or with a chorus, raising your voice in song comes with some very surprising benefits.  From improving your mood to making you healthier, Healthline points out that there is scientific evidence that singing is good for your body and your mind.

Check out these five benefits of singing and go ahead and sing to your hearts content. Afterall, it’s good for you.

Helps Relieve Stress 
Singing can help relieve stress by reducing cortisol, a hormone that is known as the “stress hormone” that is naturally produced by your body. Too much cortisol, according to Healthline,  is very bad for your health.

A study published in Frontiers in Psychology measured the amount of cortisol in the participants before and after singing. The researchers found that cortisol levels were lower after singing. It actually made no difference whether the participants sang alone or in a group.

May Improve Lung Function
People who sing use deep breathing and control the use of the muscles in their respiratory systems in a way that is similar to deep breathing exercises, according to Healthline. While singing cannot treat breathing conditions like asthma or COPD, anything that helps to strengthen the respiratory muscles could help people breathe easier.

Could Sleep Quieter
If your sleep is interrupted by snoring, try singing, recommended Health Fitness Revolution. That’s because singing strengthens throat muscles and that could appreciatively decrease snoring and may even reduce sleep apnea.

A 2008 UK study about the effect of singing on snoring compared choir singers with non-singers. Both groups had to fill out a questionnaire. The snoring section was filled out by their spouses. Two snoring scales were used in the study. The researchers found that far fewer singers snored than the control group and they recommend singing as a potential treatment for snoring.

May Improve Memory
While people with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia experience memory loss, people with these conditions have been shown to recall song lyrics. A study by the Alzheimer’s Foundation, found that besides remembering the lyrics, singing brought back other memories too. The researchers, according to the study, found that singing songs that were learned in childhood actually caused a spontaneous return of very specific memories and that gave the participants a feeling of hope and positivity.

Could Help Improve Mood
Singing, like exercising, can also release endorphins – “the feel-good hormone” –, dopamine and serotonin according to the Ach Group organization for older people. The release of these brain chemicals could lift your spirits and help reduce anxiety too.