Laughter is the Best Prescription for a Healthy Life

Ever heard the old saying, "laughter is good for the soul" or " If I can't laugh about it, I would die from it". These two sayings actually have some truth behind it. According to www.webmd.com with an article tittled "Give Your Body A Boost - With Laughter" it states that most researchers think that laughter is one of the best medicines out there. I have to agree with them. Below are some health benefits from laughter and what the benefits do to your body.

Exercise
Most people who have a good laugh at least once a day feel like they just went through a semi-mild workout. I am talking about the kind of laugh that makes your belly hurt because you have been laughing so hard for a period of time. That period of time should be around 10 to 15 minutes. If you laugh uncontrollably for that amount of time your body can burn off at least 50 calories.

Blood Sugar Levels
According to the article "Give Your Body A Boost - With Laughter", researchers studied 19 people who have diabetes. The first day the group ate a meal and listened to a drawn out lecture. The next day, the same group of 19 people ate the exact same meal as the day before, yet this time they watched a comedy on television. After the comedy was over and a few laughs were shared, the researchers tested their blood sugar levels and realized that they levels were lower then the day before, after they heard the lecture.

Sleep (Relaxation)
After your body worked up a good laughing session, and you feel like you just had a semi-workout, with the laughter your body was able to allow your brain to release enzymes that allows you to relax and breath deeply. I know after I have laughed so hard I often feel like I could take me a nice nap, and I usually do, and usually it is the best nap ever!

Blood Flow
According to the article once more, the University of Maryland's researches tested a group of people. In this group they wanted to see how the blood flow through the vessels acted once a person watch a comedy and then a drama movie. After the movies were over the researchers saw that the comedy allowed the blood to flow more freely and the vessels expanded and contracted easily. After the drama the case studies show the group of people tensed up which caused restricted blow flow throughout the vessels.

Of course many people are going to have different theories saying laughter does or does not have any health benefits. In all out honesty, there has not yet been done many distinctive test to see if humor does have an affect on our health, however my saying is, if it makes you feel good, then I am sure it has a great benefit from it.

For example, just today I had a pretty bad argument with my husband. After being married for 7 years we are so now out of the honeymoon phase. Words were flying and faces were getting really red. Bodies tensed up and the heart was beating pretty fast. After about thirty minutes I would guess, I got fed up with the yelling and went outside to calm down. First thing I did was call my best friend so I could vent. Instead of venting we ending up joking about everything and I had a gut wrenching laugh for another thirty minutes or so with her. After I laughed I took a deep sigh of relief, laid back in the rocker on the porch and just felt like a big weight was off my shoulders. Like, I could see more clearly and just ready to tackle the problem at hand with no yelling and no fussing of any kind. Laughter today made me relax and I am sure that relaxation is a whole lot healthier then high blood pressure from being so upset! Now that is my official study!