Studies carried out in Sweden have shown that humming as part of breathwork practice leads to a dramatic increase of the airflow in the sinuses.

The research at the Karolinska Institute also revealed that levels of nitric oxide (NO) increased by 15- to 20-fold when humming compared with quiet exhalation.

NO is generally cited as antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial by scientists.

Joel Jelen os Reset Breathing said: “We know within breathing education circles that impaired breathing leads to poor air circulation and lower pressure in the nose and sinuses, thus creating an environment beneficial for bacterial growth and inflammations. It’s possible that humming can have a positive effect on sinusitis.”

Analysis from the studies showed that by humming 60—120 times four times per day, participants’ chronic sinusitis symptoms were essentially eliminated in 4 days.

Jelen describes the technique as follows:

1. Close your mouth and let the front part of the tongue rest in its natural place in the roof of the mouth, behind the front teeth.
2. On exhalation say: ”Hmmm…”, in other words push together your vocal cords and squeeze the air out through the nose so that a humming sound occur.
3. You can feel the vibrations slightly in your jaw. The vibrations increase the air circulation and the production of NO in the nose and sinuses.
4. In chronic blocked nose or sinusitis repeat for 10-20 breaths 2-4 times a day for a few days or until the problems are gone.
5. The effects seems to be even better if you alongside the humming push in your ear tragus with your index fingers. This stimulates the vagus nerve which is directly coupled to our rest and digest system (the parasympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system).
6. The exercise could also be done preventively, for example when you are about to get a cold, or just being in the mood to do it.

With thanks and gratitude to https://www.consciousbreathing.com/ and all the powerful knowledge they are sharing in the field of breathwork.