Sing like you mean it, say experts. Picture: iStock It’s the place where you can be anybody you want, whether it’s Mariah, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Bono or Freddie Mercury. The shower is the stadium performance where bathroom acoustics make us all sound like superstars.
According to Lyz Cooper of theBritish Academy of SoundTherapy, whose research explored how music affects health and wellbeing, regular singing alters stress hormones, mood chemistry and even immune function. Annemari Viviers of Heavenly Healing said that she could not agree more and that singing in the shower should be part of everyone’s kick-start to the day. Whether your neighbours like it or not, your bathroom concerts may be starting your day better than your breakfast cereal ever promised.
Cooper’s research noted neuroscience and psychology studies showing that singing lowers cortisol, the hormone linked to stress, while stimulating dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin, the chemicals associated with pleasure, calm, and emotional connection. “These neurochemical changes are why people often feel emotionally lighter after singing,” Cooper noted in her research. “It creates a rapid uplift in mood and reduces stress.” “The shower provides privacy,” said Viviers.
Read Full Article on The Citizen
[paywall]
“Without an audience, people sing more freely, and that uninhibited singing is where much of the emotional benefit is generated.” Singing requires deep inhalations and slow, regulated exhalations. Cooper’s paper references breathwork research showing that sustained breathing patterns improve oxygen flow and calm the nervous system. Viviers added that the body responds positively to this form of vocal breathwork.
“When you sing, your breathing naturally slows down and deepens,” Viviers said. “That immediately tells the nervous system that it is safe. The diaphragm strengthens, lung capacity improves, and people feel calmer without having to try to meditate to get to the same spiritual place,” she said.
[/paywall]
