Bad Habits Promote Good Health

I'm a hummer.  No, not the vehicle.  And although the word used to be a derogatory slang word, I doubt it's in vogue anymore.  I mean I hum.  All the time.  The lion's share of my day is spent humming along with whatever music is playing on the radio, or just repeating lines from songs that get stuck in my head.  It happens everywhere.  I hum at work, in the bathroom, in church.  I don't do it to irritate people, and I don't do it on purpose.  It's just what I do.

It used to drive my wife crazy (not so much anymore, but that's another story).  She thought that when I was humming, I was ignoring her or trying to tune her out.  We'd be in the car and she'd be talking, and I'd be humming.  She'd talk louder, I'd hum louder.  After several volume increases, she'd get exasperated and ask me to be quiet, because most likely I hadn't heard a word she'd said.  I'd respond by repeating the last few lines of our conversation.  It would irritate the heck out of her.  So I'd do the polite thing and stop humming, but within a few minutes my head would start moving and those sounds would start coming out of my mouth and nose again.

I found out this week that my "bad habit" is actually good for me and my physical health.  Doctors are finding out that humming actually helps keep sinus passages clear, preventing infection and assisting the body in removing dust and germs that could cause colds and infections.  This could explain why I don't get colds very often.

It turns out that there are other healthy bad habits.  For instance, ever have anybody tell you to sit up straight?  "Stop slouching!"  Well, guess what?  Sitting up straight puts additional strain on the spine and lower back.  Slouching relieves pressure and relaxes the muscles that support the spine.  Chewing gum is also considered a bad habit, yet doing so promotes digestion.  A good thing to know for folks who suffer from acid reflux or other digestive ailments.

I already knew that humming was good for me mentally.  But it's nice to get the backing of the medical community on the physical benefits.  So the next time my wife asks me to stop humming, I'll just politely remind her that I'm keeping myself healthy.