Taken from: HUMMING FOR HEALTH By Andi & Jonathan Goldman
1. Lowered Blood Pressure and Heart Rate
Slowed paced humming causes both our blood pressure to be significantly decreased as well as a decrease in heart rate. Thus, it promotes deep relaxation and reduces stress, including reducing all those hormones associated with stress such as cortisol.
2. Increased Levels of Nitric Oxide
Nitric Oxide is a molecule that causes vasodilation which causes smooth muscle cells to relax. This positively effects and enhances circulation as well as increasing the amount of oxygen in our cells. When we make a sound and vibrate any part of our body, NO is release, helping to heal that part of the body. This may be one of the reasons why many people report that humming helps them relieve headaches.
3. Increased Lymphatic Circulation
You get rid of a lot of bodily toxins through the lymphatic system—toxins that can be
quite damaging to your health. As noted, when you vibrate an area through your own self-created vocal sounds, you are also vibrating, massaging and activating your body, especially your cells, your circulatory system and your lymphatic circulation.
4. Increased Levels of Melatonin
Humming releases melatonin which helps us sleep. In addition, melatonin is a powerful free-radical scavenger and wide-spectrum antioxidant that works with our immune system and has anti-inflammatory effects. Thus, you can potentially enhance your sleep, your immunological system, your aging process and a whole lot more through producing melatonin with your own self-created sound.
5. Release of Endorphins
Endorphins are those wonderful self-created opiates that make us feel good and help us reduce pain. And quite naturally, these natural opiates are generated when we hum. That why most people hum when they feel happy. It’s speculated that two thirds of people hum when they feel good and are happy. Conversely, when we hum, we can help generate a feeling of being happy. So if we feel pain, humming helps. And if we feel sad, humming can also help.
6. Release of Oxytocin
Oxytocin is known as the “trust” hormone. When we make sound with another, all the barriers that exist between us just disappear. The release of oxytocin may be an explanation for why our hearts and souls feel so nourished when we sing a song in a group in a church, temple or similar situation. We know of no better way of creating harmony in a discordant group than by having them make sound together—particularly humming together.