A healthy life could be as simple as singing along to your favorite songs. A joint Yale and Harvard study showed that some singing people stimulate healthy minds and hearts, which increases longevity. In fact, studies have shown that singing can help lower blood pressure, improve brain health to reduce the risk of dementia and help with depressive symptoms.
Doctors report that singing may help lower blood pressure.
A 76-year-old woman who suffered severe pre-existing hip bleeding before undergoing total surgery on her knee for osteoarthritis (OA).
While the patient was unresponsive to invasive pharmacologic interventions, the woman’s blood pressure dropped dramatically when she sang several religious songs.
This case report appears in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR).
“Several studies suggest that listening to music can be effective in lowering blood pressure by stabilizing or removing patients before surgery, which reduces stress and anxiety,” explained the lead author Nina Niu, a researcher from Harvard Medical School in Boston.
“Our case study expands on medical evidence by showing that making music or singing in the preoperative setting has a therapeutic effect.
Niu said, “Singing is simple, safe and free. Patients should be encouraged to sing if they wish. ”
This single case study demonstrated the effectiveness of singing in reducing blood pressure and controlling pain.
“To be formally considered as an alternative treatment for a population of OA patients, larger studies are needed to examine the impact of singing on hypertension and chronic pain relief,” Niu said.