Singing lullabies like 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' could help put long Covid to bed, patients who took part in an English National Opera-led programme found that singing helped them breathe better, Daily Mail reported stating research findings.
Imperial College London researchers compared the results of 150 long Covid sufferers, 74 of which took part in the ENO's Breathe programme — which lasts for six weeks.
Researchers asked each participant to score their breathlessness at rest, walking, climbing stairs, and running out of 100. While both groups experienced improvements in their condition, the singing group saw bigger reductions in their breathlessness scores. Singing patients reported an average 10.48 point reduction in breathlessness while running, compared to the control group.
Participants were also compared on improvements in their mental health over the six weeks. Researchers found singers had an average 2.42 point improvement after the program compared to the control group.
The research involved lullabies because they are short, easy to remember and designed to be calming. Results when compared the outcomes of ENO Breathe attendees with a control group found the programme led to greater improvements in their breathing and their mental well-being.
