2025-09-29 14:13:30
Belting out tunes by Elvis Presley and The Beatles may help ease the pain of lung disease.
A world-first study led by Monash University in Melbourne and the University of Cambridge found that online group singing therapy boosted quality of life for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD).
The trial, involving 101 patients across Australia, asked half the group to take part in a 12-week “Sinfonia” singing programme.
Participants joined 90-minute online sessions, belting out classics like Can’t Help Falling in Love, Let It Be, and wartime anthem Pack Up Your Troubles. The other half received only standard treatment.
The results, presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam, showed striking benefits.
Patients in the singing group scored 7.4 points higher on quality-of-life surveys, with those who attended at least eight sessions scoring 11 points higher – a difference described as “clinically important.”
Professor Natasha Smallwood of Monash University said: “Chronic breathlessness is a common and highly distressing symptom for people with COPD and ILD, yet there is a lack of safe, effective, and acceptable treatment options. Compared to usual care, taking part in the Sinfonia programme led to improved quality of life – especially for those who attended most of the sessions.”
She added that the benefits may come from “better control of breathing, social connection, or mood improvements.”
Dr Apostolos Bossios, of the European Respiratory Society, called the results a “growing body of evidence” that non-medication approaches can help. Meanwhile, Sarah Sleet, CEO of Asthma and Lung UK, said singing’s breath control and endorphin release make the findings unsurprising. “If you think singing might help you, you can join an Asthma and Lung UK singing group,” she added.
The researchers concluded that for patients battling long-term lung disease, a sing-along might be just what the doctor ordered.
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