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Co-workers and employers have often mentioned I hum while I work. Sometimes they say they find it amusing. During the pandemic, working alone at home, it became clear to me that I am, indeed, a hummer! Oddly, I hum old songs — many from my mother’s era. Since I can’t carry a tune, perhaps this is a substitute.
It made me curious about humming, so I decided to research it. It turns out that humming is much more than a breathy random melody. It affects us physically as well as mentally, in much stronger ways than I’d have ever guessed. It seems logical that it might reduce stress, but it actually lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, and produces very powerful chemicals in the body, like oxytocin — sometimes called “the love hormone.”
Science has accepted that music, singing, repetitive speaking and humming, as well as the steady beat of a drum and the action of rocking in place, can be soothing and healing, benefiting our bodies. Some would say we’re hard-wired for music, rhythm and dancing. These same behaviors have been shown to help schizophrenics by reducing the unpleasant auditory hallucinations they often suffer. So, the importance of musical rhythms in our lives is no small matter.
But humming has its own particular benefits. When you hum, a gas called nitric oxide increases in your nose, and that can help to fix nose problems like sinusitis. Hum for sinus health! (Beverly A. Jackson)
To be continued…
This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.