Long covid is currently one of the greatest challenges in medicine. Symptoms of convalescents, despite the cessation of infection, can be very annoying and last for months. The new discovery of scientists may remedy at least some of the ailments. The recipe is simple: you have to… sing regularly.
- Singing as a remedy for long covid breathing problems is the brainchild of experts at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London
- The academic center of health science invited 150 people with symptoms of long covid to the study. breathlessness
- The participants learned how to practice breathing while singing, for example, lullabies. The trainings were conducted under the supervision of professional singers
- The results of the study are very promising: participants not only felt an improvement in their breathing but also in their mood and overall well-being
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
A simple way to solve a complicated problem
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London has developed an innovative pulmonary rehabilitation program for people who have had COVID-19 and struggle with breathlessness or other respiratory problems. Experts teamed up with professional singers from the English National Opera, who taught participants how to practice breathing while singing during weekly online workshops. lullabies.
This type of works was chosen not by accident. Lullabies are usually easily accessible, their melodies and words are easy to remember and learn, even by people who are not singing professionals. In addition, they are composed in such a way as to bring relief and relief, which for people struggling with long covid is as important as the effective fight with its physical symptoms.
Materials were also made available to interested persons, including exercise records and song lyrics that they could use on an ongoing basis for independent work.
More than a year after the program was made available, experts decided to check the effects of the exercises. 150 participants were invited to participate in the study. The condition for participation was the feeling of breathlessness, lasting at least a year from COVID-19. Half of the participants took part in breathing workshops for six weeks, following the guidance of singers from the English National Opera. The other half of the respondents (control group) did not participate in the classes, and during this time they followed the standard medical recommendations for the treatment of long covid symptoms.
The results of the randomized trial, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, have been extremely successful. Patients attending classes in respiratory rehabilitation based on singing not only experienced a marked improvement in breathing (shortness of breath and chest pain were less frequent and lasted shorter), but also an improvement in general well-being. What’s more, they also noticed a change in mood – they experienced less anxiety and symptoms of depression. Some participants also found that they sleep better, find it easier to concentrate, and their voices seem stronger and clearer.
«Our findings suggest that an online breathing and wellness program can improve the mental component of HRQoL (HRQoL). online breathing and wellbeing programme improves health related quality-of-life) and episodes of dyspnea in people with persistent symptoms after COVID-19. Therapy based on the mind-body relationship and music, involving pleasant techniques for coping with symptoms, can support recovery »the authors of the study noted.
The rest of the article is available under the video.
What is long covid?
Long covid long covid) is a group of symptoms that persist or develop approximately four weeks after being infected with the coronavirus. These ailments last for weeks or even months and significantly affect the daily functioning of the convalescent.
The most common symptoms of long covid are:
- breathing problems (e.g. shortness of breath, chest pain, shortness of breath with little physical activity),
- brain fog (including problems with concentration),
- sleep disturbances, insomnia,
- cardiological problems (e.g. pressure, stinging in the chest),
- hair loss,
- chronic fatigue,
- mood swings,
- changes in the sense of smell and / or taste.
Do you want to test your COVID-19 immunity after vaccination? Have you been infected and want to check your antibody levels? See the COVID-19 immunity test package, which you will perform at Diagnostics network points.
People struggling with long covid should remain under the constant supervision of a doctor and use the help of specialists, depending on the symptoms, e.g. pulmonologist, cardiologist, neurologist or dermatologist. Psychological and psychiatric support is also very important.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to the diet. Do you have to stick to it 100% to stay healthy and feel good? Do you really have to start every day with breakfast? What is it like with sipping meals and eating fruit? Listen: