Singing and chemo aren’t words that you’d automatically put together, I know. But there are some good reasons why belting out a tune can help you after treatment.

Stress busting

Have you ever noticed how singing along to the radio or joining in a sing-along with friends reduces your stress levels? A lot of that has to do with the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is one of the longest nerves in the body. It runs from the brain down through the throat, to the heart and lungs and into the gut. It’s critical in reducing our stress responses by turning off the ‘flight and fight’ mode. Singing is a good way to tone up the vagus nerve and calm us down.

Singing involves controlling your breath. When we’re stressed, we often hyperventilate. Singing brings your breathing back to normal, which tends to calm you down.

Exercise

Singing also involves the use of muscles in our larynx, the voice box, our tongues and those in our chest that inflate our lungs. Quite a few muscles are involved in breathing, from the diaphragm to the muscles between our ribs. So it is a helpful form of exercise for the chest.

One of the potential side effects of chemo treatment is pulmonary fibrosis, a scarring of the lungs, which reduces lung capacity. You might have noticed that you get more out of breath when you exercise than you did before treatment.

A review of 17 studies on people suffering from conditions that can affect lung function, including cancer, looked at the positive effects of singing lessons. They all showed that the lessons improved physical function and quality of life. The participants in the studies found singing to be effective therapy that improved mood, was fun, good exercise for the lungs, taught breath control and improved their lung function (1).

Psychological health

Although singing on your own can bring significant benefits, group singing also helps to create social connections, helping those of us who are socially isolated and giving a sense of belonging.

In my book, I talk about how cancer patients with good social support tend to live longer. Being part of a group gives you the chance to talk to people about your feelings and that can help to reduce your stress levels.

Improving chemo brain

Singing involves a lot more than just opening your mouth. There’s the memorising and interpretation of lyrics and melodies, keeping rhythm and much more. Like anything else that exercises your brain, it strengthens the neural connections, and this can help to overcome the frustrations of chemo brain.

So I encourage you to look for opportunities to raise your voice.

• You might want to consider joining a singing group or a choir. You don’t necessarily need to have a wonderful voice, just some enthusiasm and a willingness to participate.

• Consider joining a karaoke group.

• If you are a churchgoer, you have the perfect opportunity to exercise your voice in singing hymns.

• Join a group of friends and have a sing-along.

• Have a song night with your children and/or grandchildren and sing your family’s favourites.

• If you can’t get together with friends, turn on the radio and sing along with the songs on the radio.

To quote Miguel de Cervantes, ‘He who sings frightens away his ills.

References

1.   Goldenberg R. Singing Lessons for Respiratory Health: A Literature Review. Journal of Voice. 2018;32(1):85-94. doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2017.03.021