Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a long-term lung condition that makes it hard to breathe over time. It is a fact that the effective
management of COPD disease
not only significantly improves patients' quality of life but also reduces the frequency of exacerbations, decreases hospital admissions, and enhances overall health outcomes. Various treatment and therapy methods have been explored over the years. However, some researchers were led to find alternative COPD therapy methods that are effective but also easy to apply in daily life. There is one method that we believe is not an obvious one: Singing. Singing involves managing your lungs’ volume and airflow in a controlled way. While we know singing is good for many things, it was not clear how it affects people with COPD mentally, emotionally and physiologically. Now, we may have an insight on that. As singing therapy is considered a cost-effective, non-pharmacological, and community-based intervention that might help COPD patients improve their lung function, exercise capacity, and overall well-being, it was worth conducting studies regarding that.
The Effectiveness of Singing on Mental and Psychological Health
The objective of the following study we will be discussing was to investigate the mental and psychological benefits of singing for patients with stable COPD. With the aim of achieving that, researchers conducted a systematic review and analysis of randomized controlled trials involving singing exercise as the primary intervention for COPD. They searched various databases in English and Chinese, and they assessed the quality of the included studies. The analysis involved a total of 333 patients. The result of this thoroughly conducted study indicated that singing could have a positive impact on the lives of COPD patients.
Physical Benefits of Singing Therapy
It was revealed that singing was beneficial in terms of the physical component of their quality of life, as it significantly improved lung function: COPD patients that engaged in singing therapy showed improvements in their lung capacity and the strength of their respiratory muscles. The mentioned benefits are crucial for individuals with COPD, as these individuals’ daily life is mainly dependent on and restricted by these conditions. The acceptance and completion rates of the singing therapy were promising, with a 75% completion rate, although the dropout rate was around 22%. Another good news is that there were no adverse events or negative side effects reported during the therapy. Based on this study we can say that singing can be a valuable therapy for COPD patients by increasing their lung function, however it has limited effects on their mental well-being and exercise capability.
Conclusion and Further Research
In conclusion, it has been found that a non-traditional, non-pharmacological and cost-effective approach, such as singing, can be implemented as an alternative therapy method for COPD patients- as it can enhance the quality of life and lung function of individuals with COPD. Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to better understand the full range of benefits that singing can offer to COPD patients.
As Breathment, we too are searching for ways to improve the lives of COPD patients and providing a cost effective and accessible form of therapy. We provide our patients with exercises to gain control of their COPD symptoms. These exercises are designed to perform from home, which makes it easier to integrate them in daily life- just as singing! Book your first online therapy to find out more about our approach to respiratory care and download
Breathment Therapy App
for free.
