Christmas is a time for fun, festivities and revisiting traditions. Whilst staying healthy may not always be at the forefront of people’s minds during this time, one Christmas activity has several surprising health and wellbeing benefits – carolling.
Joanna Stanford, Lifestyle Manager at The Durhamgate care home, home to ‘the residents’ choir’, shares how this festive favourite can help support physical and mental wellbeing, whatever your age.
Singing improves oxygen flow
Joanna, from the Durham care home says, “When we sing, we learn to control our breathing to allow us to hold the notes. Whilst this may not seem like an obvious workout, it can help promote steadier, deeper breathing and allow the body to take on oxygen more effectively.
If you’re looking for a lower-impact activity that is still beneficial for supporting cardiovascular health, singing is a great way to encourage oxygen saturation levels in the blood, which in turn supports keeping the heart healthy. Some studies suggest that just 5 minutes of singing a day can have these effects – that’s as little as two Christmas carols!”
Carols can help your immune system
One of the most unexpected benefits of singing is that it can help support a healthy immune system.
Joanna explains, “Studies have shown that regularly singing in a group setting can help reduce inflammation in the body, and that singers experience higher levels of antibodies. Both of these are important for the immune system, with antibodies being the first defence against illness, and high inflammation working against the body’s natural ability to fight infection.
With the winter months being peak cold and flu season, it’s important to keep the immune system fighting fit and adding singing into your routine could play a supportive role in helping you feel well. Of course, on top of this, it is still important to eat well, exercise and reduce the spread of bacteria to give your immune system the best chance of keeping you feeling your best. ”
Mental health can be boosted too
Singing doesn’t just bring physical benefits; it can have a positive effect on mental health as well.
Joanna says, “Singing helps to activate the areas in the brain associated with rewards and emotion, releasing endorphins and hormones like dopamine, leaving us feeling happy and with a lifted mood.
Many people find this effect is multiplied when singing in a group – the perfect excuse to get a choir together for some carolling!”
For Mike, one resident at DurhamGate, this is his favourite thing about singing: “I love to be in a group of others, all singing together with everyone happy. I have fond memories of the time I spent with my family singing my favourite carol, ‘Oh Come All Ye Faithful’, at this time of year.”
Music benefits memory
Another favourite at DurhamGate, which brings back precious memories for many, is ‘Silent Night’. Jean loves this song “as it was my late husband’s favourite” and for Eileen, “it really takes me back to being young and being with my family.”
As well as evoking memories, singing can be used to build connections in the brain important for both short and long-term memory recall.
“When singing, we use many areas of the brain at the same time, something that few activities do. This can help strengthen pathways in our brains which support us with memory recall,” says Joanna.
One way to enhance these effects is to make singing trickier, to keep the brain engaged with the task. Singing in a different language can be a fantastic way to do this, as more focus is needed on pronunciation.
Christmas carols are great for this, as many were originally written in other languages, but their melodies remain the same in English, providing an element of familiarity when learning the alternative lyrics. ‘Silent Night’, for example, was originally in German and known as ‘Stille Nacht.’”
Janna continues, “The best thing about singing for your health is that it is accessible, free of charge and can be fit into your day with ease – there’s no need to set aside time to work out or the need for any fancy equipment, you don’t even have to have perfect pitch!
The festive season is the perfect chance to give singing a try. Why not learn a few carols and see if it leaves you feeling fitter and happier in the new year?”
