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by ibgames

EARTHDATE: December 15, 2013

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REAL LIFE NEWS: SINGING HELPS YOU BREATHE

by Hazed

A new study shows that people suffering from long-term breathing difficulties can gain relief from the simple act of singing.

The study looked at those who have a lifelong condition called Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which is caused by damage to the air sacs and passages in the lungs. Sufferers find breathing a constant battle which affects every aspect of their lives.

One person with COPD, Jane Petto, described the effects: “If I want to walk any distance then I find a landmark about 15 paces away, make for that and stop to get my breath… And if I see stairs - just looking at them tires me out. They take forever.”

But despite this, Jane says that, “when I’m singing, I can hold a note for ages.”

Scientists have long suspected that singing can give relief to those who have breathing difficulties, and now the long-term study on COPD and singing confirms that the benefits are real.

Dr Ian Morrison, a senior research fellow and one of the project’s authors, said: “Lung function improved dramatically, particularly after about five months, once people had got used to what they were doing and changed their breathing habits. To get such an improvement really was quite remarkable.”

He explained that those with problems breathing tend to develop anxiety about the process. “The tendency is to do ‘gaspy’ breathing so they’re taking short little breaths. This actually fills up the lungs without clearing them, making it even more difficult to breathe.”

By contrast, when singing people breathe in a much deeper and more controlled way, and over time this can improve the whole musculature of the lungs, throat and upper chest.

Maybe we’ll see doctors telling their patients with COPD to join a choir.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-25231910

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