Humming stimulates the vagus nerve and has other health benefits, and is the base of the yogic breathing technique ‘humming bee breath’
There are plenty of reasons to feel stressed all year. The holiday season ushers in many more.
Everyone handles stress differently – some find relief in exercising or being outdoors, while others indulge in hobbies or spend time with friends. There is one simple yet surprisingly powerful tool, though, that can instantly help anyone feel calmer: humming.
As well as being something that many people might do to music, humming is used in a yogic breathing technique known as Bhramari pranayama, or “humming bee breath”.
Gunjan Trivedi, a key researcher in the field, describes Bhramari pranayama as “a basic nasal sound – a combination of ‘mmmm’ and ‘nnnn’ – that gets repeated for several minutes at a time”.
Trivedi, the co-founder of Wellness Space, a mental health and therapy centre in the city of Ahmedabad in India’s Gujarat state, believes humming is the simplest form of chanting, which involves repeating a mantra – a sound or phrase.
“Chanting, given the use of a mantra, adds specific emotion and thoughts, which makes it a more advanced practice with additional benefits. Both humming and chanting involve slow, rhythmic breathing and sound vibration during exhalation.”
Samrat Dasgupta, a Hong Kong-based yoga teacher of 20 years and the founder of Prana Yoga in Wan Chai, says it is the vibrations created when we hum that are key.
Humming can stimulate the vagus nerve, which runs between the brainstem and abdomen and controls functions such as heart rate, digestion, breathing, relaxation and emotional regulation, he says.
“This adds another layer of calm to meditation or yoga, helping practitioners settle into a focused, peaceful state more quickly.”
Humming is indeed a great stress-buster. One study that Trivedi co-authored monitored 23 participants in four different circumstances: humming, doing physical activity, experiencing emotional stress and sleeping.
By measuring the participants’ heart rate variability, or HRV, the researchers found that when humming, participants had a lower stress score than they did under the other conditions.
HRV measures the duration between heartbeats and is a way to assess the body’s stress and relaxation responses.
The study, published in 2023 in The Cureus Journal of Medical Science, also reiterated that humming activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us calm down, recover and relax.
Another study, published in 2022 in the journal Biomedicine, also found that practising humming bee breath can lower blood pressure.
These results suggest that humming can reduce the effects of stress and boost our mental and emotional well-being.
Additionally, another study Trivedi co-authored, published in 2021 in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, found that humming can improve sleep quality.
People who practice humming regularly can attest to its stress-relieving powers.
Annabella Wong, 33, incorporates the practice into her bedtime routine because it helps her unwind from her daily stresses and promotes a more restful slumber.
“It relieves anxiety and draws my attention inward quickly,” says the marketing manager and part-time yoga teacher, who lives in Hong Kong.
“Closing my eyes and ears and creating an internal humming sound directs my attention inward. It feels like switching off the buttons inside and disconnecting from the outside world – especially from social media – so I can observe how tired my body really is and prepare my mind for sleep.
“When I sleep well, everything improves. I wake up earlier, feel healthier and more energetic, and feel calmer when life gets stressful.”
Humming is Dasgupta’s go-to whenever he needs to settle his mind or shift out of a stressful state.
“The vibration creates an immediate sense of warmth and grounding, helping me reconnect with my breath,” he says.
“It also quiets the internal noise when I find it difficult to focus, making it easier to ease into meditation. On busy days, I incorporate humming into my self-practice to reset and find clarity.”
For yoga teacher and wellness consultant Victor Chau, humming helps him de-stress – because it makes him laugh.
“Practising and teaching Bhramari always gives me the giggles, and this helps with stress management – as the saying goes, laughter is the best medicine,” says Chau, who was born in Hong Kong and now lives in Singapore.
“I practice humming bee breath once or twice a month to help clear my mind. The sound vibrations are so soothing.
“I sit upright and, using my thumbs, gently close the tragus of each ear – the small flap of skin and cartilage that protrudes over the opening of the ear canal – so that when I produce a high-pitched humming sound, the vibration stays inside my skull cavity.”
Humming is easy to do. Trivedi says that it is most effective when practised in a relaxed, upright seated posture with your spine straight and eyes gently closed.
“Breathe in through your nose for about three to five seconds, and then exhale slowly for five to nine seconds while making a soft, low-pitched humming sound during exhalation only,” he says.
“The range of inhalation and exhalation should be based on your individual comfort level to sustain the practice for a few minutes at a time.”
Trivedi says that a 20-minute daily practice can bring noticeable benefits. You can split this into two short sessions, one in the morning and one before bedtime.
Humming should feel comfortable and effortless.
“A soft, smooth sound is usually most effective,” Dasgupta says.
“There is no need to tense or activate your chest or throat. Many people naturally feel vibration in their face, lips or nasal passages, and paying attention to that sensation can keep your mind anchored.”
He likes to maintain a slight gap between his upper and lower teeth “for a stronger vibration”.
“The key is to maintain a consistent, gentle breath and a steady tone rather than precision or intensity,” he says.
