Humming has measurable physiological effects that can be healing and health-promotingMaking a simple, self-created sound for just five minutes might help to reduce blood pressure and stress, and keep nasal passages and sinuses healthy. Humming requires no musical ability. It’s a sound that everyone with a voice can make. It’s something babies do. It’s something elderly people do. Yet, the benefits of humming go beyond just the fun of humming a favorite tune. Research suggests that humming can be an important, portable self-help tool that can be used to reduce stress, relax, perhaps improve the health of nasal and sinus passages, and more. The Basics of Humming Sit up straight, close your eyes, and take a few deep breaths, then hum from your mouth up through your nose with your lips closed. You can hum for 10 seconds and longer. For an extended session, you can hum for five minutes followed by five minutes of silence to ground yourself afterward. Jonathan Goldman, an authority on sound healing, has worked with all sorts of sounds for 40 years. He and his wife, Andi Goldman, a licensed psychotherapist, have worked in the field of sound healing for the past 20 years. They’d been looking for an accessible form of sound healing for the masses. When they considered the simple act of humming and looked at the research on its benefits, they were amazed by what they found and compiled the information in their book “The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness.” Key Points to Know About Humming There are two ways that sound affects the body: Through psycho-acoustics: through hearing or listening, which affects the nervous system. Through vibro-acoustics: by making the sound, and the sound literally vibrates the body—all the way down to the cellular level. “Humming is, from my perspective, the most powerful vibro-acoustic sound we can make,” Jonathan Goldman said. Keep in mind that there are many pitches of hums, and each person is a unique vibratory being. What works for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. As a unique vibratory being, play with the pitch, and hum in the manner that seems best suited to you, the Goldmans recommend. In addition, to reap the most benefits from humming, Jonathan Goldman says that silence is mandatory. After you hum for five minutes, then go into stillness and silence for a few minutes. “Silence is the yin to the yang of sound. Silence is the place where the sound can create the shifts and changes on a vibrational level, on a physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual level,” he said. The following lines of research point to several important health benefits of humming, including reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and stress, and increased levels of nitric oxide, which plays an important role in keeping the nasal cavity and sinuses healthy. Blood Pressure and Heart Rate In a 2010 study, participants practiced a specific type of humming combined with deep breathing—a yogic practice called bhramari pranayama—for five minutes. The slow-paced humming caused both the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of participants to decrease significantly, accompanied by a slight decrease in their heart rates. The authors concluded that this type of humming induced “parasympathetic dominance” on the cardiovascular system, which is beneficial, as the parasympathetic nervous system is sometimes thought of as the system that erases stress and puts the body back into a state of balance. Five minutes seems to be the minimum time necessary for sound to create this beneficial effect on the body. The Goldmans have experienced this reduction in blood pressure and heartbeat. “Andi and I have found that if we’re about to go into a meeting or do some task that may be challenging and we find that we’re nervous, all that’s necessary is for us to spend a couple of minutes taking some nice deep breaths and humming,” Jonathan Goldman said. “Our heartbeat and blood pressure most usually will drop quite amazingly—to about the level that pharmaceuticals might achieve.” Chanting ‘Om’ Can Reduce the Stress Response A study in the International Journal of Yoga in 2011 found that when participants of the study chanted “Om”—which is often considered to be essentially the same sound as humming—there was deactivation of the limbic system. The limbic system is the part of the brain that regulates autonomic and hormonal functions, particularly in response to the intense emotions of fear or anger. When the limbic system is activated, we often experience the “fight or flight” phenomenon. When the limbic system is deactivated, we experience a reduction in stress and enhanced calmness. More Nitric Oxide in the Nasal Passages Additional research on humming shows that it greatly increases nitric oxide in a localized area of the body—the nasal passages. Nitric oxide is a neural transmitter fundamental to health and well-being. It plays many important roles in the body: It enhances t