Humming my way into the New Year

Dec 29

I remember my grandmother and one of my great-aunts humming as they did their household chores. Preparing dinner, they would be humming, sewing on a button, humming. Now, 40+ years later, I smile as I learn about the “scientific” benefits of humming and how they must have ‘known’ and felt that this practice supported their health and well-being.

I am not one for making New Year’s Resolutions. Instead, I set intentions. This year, I have set an intention (among others) to start humming. Why? Humming, it turns out, has many potential benefits.

It is also easy to do, fun, and free and provides space for improvisation, creativity, and a sonic connection to my beloved humming ancestors.

What is humming?

Humming is signing with your lips closed. When you hum, you produce the sound by the vibration of air in the head and the throat. It is possible to produce a wide range of tones with humming.
Practices that vibrate the back of the throat, like humming, singing, and gargling, help to regulate the vagus nerve function. The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the human body and runs from the brainstem into the chest and abdomen, with branches going to the throat, heart, pancreas, intestines, and other organs. It helps regulate digestion, the immune system, and heart rate control.

What do we know about the potential benefits of humming?

Please read below for a brief overview of humming using the E.A.R.T.H Framework, a tool I developed for organizing and sharing information about health-supporting practices. If you want to learn more about the impetus for creating the EARTH Framework, you can read about that here.

Ecological

Humming is a simple practice that requires no additional equipment or formal training.

Ancestral connections

Many cultures have a tradition that incorporates humming in music and healing practices. Including African-American and African cultural practices [1] and the yogic breath practice of Bhramari Pranayama (humming bee breath), which is traditionally used to calm and quiet the mind and improve sleep. [2]

Resources

Humming does not require extra time and is easily incorporated into other daytime activities.

Therapeutics.

As already mentioned, humming stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the main nerves of the parasympathetic (often called the ‘rest and digest’) nervous system. Vagal nerve stimulation regulates breathing, heart rate, the proper functioning of our digestive tract, and many other functions.

In studies, five minutes of humming has decreased heart rate and blood pressure in the face of physical stress. [3] and in people with high blood pressure

Humming has also been shown to improve heart rate variability (HRV). Higher levels of HRV - is a measure of the beat-to-beat variability in the pulse rate. Increased HRV is associated with improved health outcomes and greater resilience and responsiveness of the nervous system. [4]

Humming also increases nitric oxide (NO) [5]. Nitric oxide is a compound produced and stored in our blood vessel walls that promotes blood flow to tissues through the expansion of blood vessels. It helps to support immune function. The humming vibration results in the release of NO from the nasal sinuses. When we hum and take a deep breath through our nose, the NO is inhaled deep into our lungs. Humming has been shown to increase NO release from the nasal sinuses by 15-fold. [6] It is theorized that this NO released from the nasal passages and breathed deep into the lungs might aid in sinus infections.

It is worth mentioning that most (but not all) of the studies discussed above employed humming in the form of the yogic breath practice of Bhramari. While this practice involves humming, there is also a more formalized aspect of attentional/meditative focus on the breath that might account for some of its therapeutic benefits.

Health

Bhramari Pranayama - a yogic breath practice that involves humming is also generally safe but is contraindicated in very high blood pressure and ear infections.

Humming is a safe and easily applied self-care practice with several potential benefits for the mind and body.

To your health,

Dr. Nicole🌿

References

[1]

https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1980/6/80.06.04.x.html

[2]

https://satsang-foundation.org/bharat-yoga-vidya-kendra/bhramari-pranayama-humming-bee-breath/

[3]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5755957/

[4]

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37193427/