There are of . They include reducing stress, helping you breathe more easily, relieving sinus congestion, lowering your blood pressure and lifting your mood.
Authors
Gemma Perry
Post doctoral researcher, Bond University
William Forde Thompson
Professor, Faculty of Society & Design, Bond University
That’s a lot of potential benefits for something that comes pretty naturally to most of us.
Can something so simple really be healthy? Here’s what we know so far.
Humming’s all around us
Humming is likely connected to our of comfort and care, as caregivers soothe infants with lullabies and humming. Infants, unable to comprehend speech, take in the melodic information, making humming one of our earliest forms of bonding through sound.
As we get older, we hum when we’re happy, embarrassed, displeased or in agreement with someone. Mmm. Hmm.
We often hum tunes unconsciously, even ones we don’t like, by what we hear. Some tunes can even get stuck in our heads if they contain and . And let’s face it, humming’s also handy when we can’t remember the words.
Then there are songs that feature humming, such as Enya’s , the 90s smash hit by the Crash Test Dummies, or James Blake’s .
What happens when we hum?
When we hum, we create a with our mouth closed. We force air through our vocal folds (the newer term for vocal cords), causing them to vibrate and produce sound. We can control the pitch by adjusting the tension of our vocal folds to hum a tune.
All this likely stimulates our vagus nerve (we actually have two), part of our parasympathetic nervous system. This is the nervous system that body functions such as our heart rate, digestion and respiration.
People often hum as a way to relax. Their heart rate can decrease and their can increase. Heart rate variability refers to the slight fluctuation in time between each heartbeat. A higher heart rate variability is better health.
When we hum, oscillating sound waves may also affect the sinuses, leading to increased levels of in the nose. One study found a of nasal nitric oxide from humming compared to exhaling quietly. Nitric oxide is everything from brain and immune function to and .
In another study, researchers looked at people with allergic rhinitis (such as people with pollen or dust allergies). When they hummed, they had higher levels of nasal nitric oxide and had sinus problems compared to those who exhaled silently.
Humming some unexpected psychological effects. These include increased body awareness and “decentering” – the ability to separate oneself from thoughts, emotions and sensations.
How about chanting?
Humming also plays an important role in . One example is in the ancient meditation technique (which can involve humming while gently closing the ears with your fingertips).
It is no coincidence one of the world’s most chanted sounds – om – involves a long, sustained hum at the end. Chanting all sorts of various sounds and prayers is believed to practitioners to the spiritual realm and induce feelings of peace.
Chanting has cognitive benefits, such as mindfulness, and altered states of consciousness, – a feeling of being absorbed by and deeply focused on an activity. Chanting also .
In a nutshell
We hum for lots of different reasons, suggesting that these common vocalisations play an important role in our lives.
Is humming healthy? More research is needed. But humming feels good, improves our mood, distracts us from boring tasks, and can even be used for spiritual practice. Happy humming!
Les auteurs ne travaillent pas, ne conseillent pas, ne possèdent pas de parts, ne reçoivent pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’ont déclaré aucune autre affiliation que leur organisme de recherche.
