BackgroundThe evaluation and management of stress are important for the prevention of both depression and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the maintenance of the oral condition of the elderly is essential to enable them to stay healthy, especially to prevent aspiration pneumonia and improve mental health in an aging society. Therefore, we examined the efficacy of singing on the oral condition, mental health status, and immunity of the elderly to determine if singing could contribute to the improvement of their physical condition.MethodsForty-four subjects (10 men, 34 women), aged 60 years or older, participated in this study. The efficacy of singing on mental health status and immunocompetence was examined by swallowing function, oral condition, blood, and saliva tests, as well as through questionnaires taken before and after singing.ResultsThe results showed that the amount of saliva increased and the level of cortisol, a salivary stress marker, decreased after singing. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for feeling refreshed, comfortable, pleasurable, light-hearted, relieved, and relaxed; the tension and confusion subscale score; and the total mood disturbance (TMD) score of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) all showed improvements. Furthermore, the same tendencies were shown regardless of whether or not the subjects liked singing.ConclusionsOur results suggest that singing can be effective in improving the mental health and oral condition of the elderly.
Background:We previously reported that singing can improve mental health and oral function. Since the results were based on one singing session, further investigation was required. Therefore, we assessed the effects of daily singing on oral and immune/endocrine function in two studies.Methods: Thirteen subjects (five men, eight women) with a mean age of 51.3 years (standard deviation [SD] = 13.0) and 17 subjects (six men, 11 women) with a mean age of 46.8 years (SD = 8.0) participated in study 1 and study 2, respectively. The effects of singing on oral function, immunity, and stress were determined by performing a swallowing function test, oral cavity examination, blood and saliva tests, and questionnaires before and after the singing period.Results: Both chewing and swallowing showed significant improvement with singing (study 1), and saliva production also improved significantly with singing (study 2). In study 1, immunological analysis showed a significant increase of T cells, B cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells with singing, and immunity scores increased significantly from week 4 through week 8 compared to before singing. The mood and emotional state of the participants (visual analog scale) improved in both studies, along with reduction of cortisol and adrenaline, which are indicators of psychological stress. Levels of lipid peroxide and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, markers of oxidative stress, were also reduced in both studies. Conclusions:Singing effectively promotes oral function, including saliva secretion and muscle strength, and reduces psychological stress. Singing may also improve immune function and reduce oxidative stress.
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