Singing lullabies regularly could help people with a long Covid period to catch their breath more quickly, British researchers say. Shortness of breath is one of the most common symptoms in long-term Covid cases.
Since the start of the pandemic, treatment methods to fight Covid have flourished. The last? To sing. This would improve patients’ breathing quality, according to a study conducted by British researchers and published in the journal The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
“Covid-19 can cause long-term illness and disability, which is increasingly seen as a major global challenge”, the researchers note in the introduction to their study. In the UK, specialists estimate that 1.3 million people suffer from long-term Covid, or 2% of the population.
Symptoms include loss of taste and smell, headache, persistent fatigue, as well as persistent shortness of breath, anxiety and loss of quality of life. It is on these last three points that British researchers from Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare have focused their research.
catch your breath
To conduct their research, the specialists measured the breathing quality of 150 candidates. All had shortness of breath for more than 4 weeks, some also suffered from anxiety.
The researchers divided them into two groups. A first received the usual care. The other followed a program called “Breathe”. For six weeks, the participants took singing lessons with singers from the English National Opera. Its purpose was to learn and hum lullabies intended to soothe and calm the sick. After the experiment, the participants rated their shortness of breath at rest and after physical exertion.
Result ? The people who took the singing class noticed an improvement in their breath compared to the group who did not take the Breath program.
“Our results suggest that a respiratory and wellness program can improve respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, and mental health in people with persistent symptoms after Covid-19 infection”the experts conclude.
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