Here’s another reason to sing…
It can reduce stress and help you unwind. Seems when you hum or sing your favorite tune, you’re activating your vagus nerve, which plays a big role in relaxation. The nerve, one of the longest and most complex in the body, is kind of like a chill-out switch that helps slow your heart rate, lower blood pressure, calm your breathing, improve digestion, and reduce inflammation. It’s a major part of parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s “rest and digest” functions.
“In the throat, there are muscles that help us sing and help us hum that are actually activated by the vagus nerve,” says Dr. Ruchir Patel, founder of The Insomnia and Sleep Institute of Arizona. “So by virtue of activating the vagus nerve to activate those muscles, it also activates the sensory component of the vagus nerve to help induce a state of relaxation.”
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