Humming is easy, and it has marvelous beneficial effects, from lowering blood pressure and heart rate to stimulating the release of vital hormones such as melatonin and nitric oxide. These positive results have been scientifically validated, and they promote not just physical health but happiness and a general sense of well-being. – The Humming Effect
“The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness” by Jonathan and Andi Goldman explores the power of conscious humming as a tool for self-healing and transformation.
The Goldmans emphasize that humming is an innate ability that has profound therapeutic benefits, including reducing stress, enhancing sleep, and promoting physical healing.
Grounded in both personal experience and scientific validation, the book explains how humming positively affects our bodies by lowering blood pressure, boosting nitric oxide levels, and releasing beneficial hormones like melatonin and endorphins.
They also present exercises and techniques to engage readers in this simple yet powerful practice, aiming to make sound healing accessible to everyone, regardless of musical skill.
The book is structured into two main parts: the first delves into the basic principles of sound healing and how vibration affects the body, while the second focuses on practical exercises for developing a humming practice.
Through this practice, individuals can tap into the healing potential of their own voice, experiencing improvements in both mental and physical health.
Drawing on their decades of research in sound therapy, the Goldmans offer a compelling case for the transformative effects of humming, making it an easy, enjoyable, and effective tool for enhancing well-being.
Humming Reduces Blood Pressure and Stress
The bottom line is that humming can reduce your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. Essentially, it can reduce your stress response.
Humming isn’t just a feel-good activity; it’s scientifically proven to lower your blood pressure and reduce stress.
When you hum, you activate the parasympathetic nervous system—the part of your body that tells your brain to chill out.
This insight is backed by research from Nepal Medical College, showing that a simple practice of humming for five minutes can drastically reduce cardiovascular stress.
So, instead of reaching for stress-relief pills, why not hum a little tune and let your body do the work?
Humming Boosts Nitric Oxide Levels
When you are humming, and particularly when you are projecting your hum to specific parts of your body, you are actually causing cells in those parts of your body to release nitric oxide—with all the associated health benefits.
One of the coolest biological effects of humming is its ability to boost nitric oxide levels in your body.
Nitric oxide plays a crucial role in dilating blood vessels and enhancing blood flow, which means your overall circulation improves when you hum.
Jonathan and Andi discuss how even something as simple as a stuffy nose can benefit from a few minutes of humming, opening up nasal passages naturally.
This shows how the power of sound can work on a microscopic level to improve your health, right down to your cells.
Self-Created Sound Stimulates Melatonin Production
The fact that you can stimulate the pineal gland to release melatonin through humming is extraordinary. You can potentially enhance your sleep, your immune system, your aging process, and a whole lot more through your own self-created sound.
Humming is like nature’s sleeping pill!
The Goldmans explain that humming stimulates the release of melatonin, a hormone critical for regulating sleep cycles.
By using self-created sound, you can activate your pineal gland, which produces this hormone.
This means that regularly humming before bed might help you fall asleep faster and improve the quality of your rest.
Plus, melatonin’s benefits extend beyond sleep—it’s also an antioxidant that aids in slowing down the aging process.
Humming Enhances Brain Health
The theory is this: The act of humming creates vibrations within the brain that stimulate a plethora of neurochemicals, such as melatonin and nitric oxide, as well as microtubules of different cells in the brain. The vibrational effect stimulates the repair of damaged or diseased cells, the generation of new cells, and the formation of new synaptic pathways. Simply put: it is possible to create new neural networks in the brain through self-created sound such as humming.
Your brain loves a good hum! This shows how humming supports brain health by promoting neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and rewire itself.
This means that humming could potentially help with cognitive issues like memory, learning, and even emotional resilience.
The Goldmans connect this practice to broader implications for treating conditions like Alzheimer’s and PTSD, hinting that the vibrations of humming can profoundly affect the nervous system.
Humming, in this sense, becomes a brain-boosting superpower.
Humming Increases Oxygen Levels in Cells
One of the effects of humming (and self-created sound in general) is increased oxygen levels in the cells. This is partly due to the fact that when you hum, you breathe deeply, which helps oxygenate your cells. This also applies to the lymphatic system, which is a subset of the circulatory system.
Humming does more than create sound—it actually increases oxygen flow to your cells.
As you hum, you breathe more deeply, and this deep breathing helps your body absorb and circulate oxygen more efficiently.
The increased oxygen flow has numerous benefits, from better cellular function to improved energy levels and enhanced immune responses.
This shows how humming can serve as a natural boost for your body’s overall vitality.
It’s like giving yourself an oxygen refresh with every hum!
Humming Stimulates Vagus Nerve Activity
The primary parasympathetic nerve is the vagus nerve. This nerve is highly associated with our sense of perceiving (listening) and creating sound (vocalization). Our voice, our breathing, our heart rate, and our digestion are all affected by this nerve, which is, in turn, affected by sound.
Humming has a direct impact on the vagus nerve, which is a major component of your parasympathetic nervous system.
The vagus nerve helps regulate essential bodily functions like digestion, heart rate, and even mood.
By humming, you stimulate this nerve, leading to a calming effect that promotes overall well-being.
This shows how humming can act as a natural tune-up for your nervous system, balancing stress and enhancing relaxation.
It’s a simple way to care for your body’s internal “communication highway.”
Sound Healing Works Through Resonance
There are many ways to use entrainment for sound healing. At a basic level, you can use vibration—humming—to restore the natural resonance of an organ or system. When we reinforce its natural frequency, the organ’s resonance is restored, it regains its energy, the intruder energy that was causing damage ceases to exist, and the organ is restored to health.
Resonance is the secret to sound healing, and the Goldmans explain that every part of your body vibrates at its own unique frequency.
When a part of the body falls out of harmony—due to illness, injury, or stress—sound can help restore its natural vibratory state.
This concept suggests that the right sound can re-tune your body, just like tuning a musical instrument.
Humming is a perfect tool for this because it’s a simple, accessible way to create healing vibrations that bring the body back into balance.
Humming Releases Endorphins—The Body’s Natural Painkillers
Endorphins are powerful opiate-like neurotransmitters that block pain and contribute to feelings of pleasure and euphoria. These natural opiates are also generated when we hum.
If you’re in pain, humming could be your go-to relief.
The book explains that humming triggers the release of endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers.
These neurotransmitters not only block pain but also make you feel good—like a “natural high.”
This shows how humming can be a powerful, non-invasive way to manage pain, whether it’s from a physical injury or chronic discomfort.
Plus, the positive feelings that come from endorphins are a welcome bonus.
Breathing Is the Foundation of Sound Healing
Without breath, there can be no sound. When you combine conscious breathing with humming, you amplify that relaxation response and radically reduce your level of stress.
Breath is the starting point for any sound healing practice, including humming.
The Goldmans emphasize that breathing deeply and intentionally is key to experiencing the full benefits of humming.
By focusing on your breath while you hum, you not only calm your nervous system but also enhance the vibrational effects on your body.
This is a crucial insight because it reminds us that the combination of breath and sound creates a holistic healing experience.
Breathing mindfully while humming is a simple but profound way to enhance both mental and physical well-being.
Intention Magnifies the Power of Humming
It is not only the frequency of the sound that creates the effect, it is also the intention of the person making and receiving the sound that causes the outcome.
According to Jonathan, the magic formula is Frequency + Intent = Healing.
Humming with purpose can significantly increase its healing potential.
The Goldmans explain that setting an intention—whether it’s for healing, calming, or energizing—can strengthen the impact of your hums.
By focusing your mind on a particular goal while humming, you’re essentially giving your body a clear direction for how to heal or improve.
This highlights the connection between consciousness and physical health, showing that when mind and body work together through sound, the results can be transformative.
It’s not just about making a sound; it’s about humming with intention.
Humming may seem like a trivial act, but Jonathan and Andi Goldman have demonstrated that it’s one of the most powerful tools for self-healing we all have at our disposal.
From reducing stress and lowering blood pressure to boosting immune function and enhancing brain health, humming taps into the body’s natural abilities to heal itself.
The beauty of this practice lies in its simplicity—no expensive gadgets, no extensive training required—just you and your voice.
When combined with mindful breathing and intention, humming transforms into a deeply effective and accessible form of sound healing.
Whether you’re looking to alleviate pain, sleep better, or simply feel more connected to your body, humming is a practice that can deliver profound benefits to anyone willing to give it a try.
Try now! Hmmmmmmm…
The Humming Effect: Sound Healing for Health and Happiness
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
JONATHAN GOLDMAN, M.A., is an internationally renowned writer, musician, and teacher. He is an authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics. He is the founder and director of the Sound Healers Association and CEO of Spirit Music. In 2011 Jonathan was named by Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit magazine as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People on the Planet.
ANDI GOLDMAN, M.A., L.P.C., is a licensed psychotherapist specializing in holistic counseling and sound therapy. She is the director of the Healing Sounds seminars and codirector of the Sound Healers Association. She is a musician, teacher, sound healer, award-winning author, and the wife and partner of Jonathan Goldman.
Together, Jonathan and Andi have dedicated their lives to the path of service, helping to awaken and empower others with the ability of sound to heal and transform. They live in Boulder, Colorado.
Visit them at healingsounds.com
