There are many common sayings we hear about our health, but is there some truth in them?
When I was young, my grandmother always told me, if I ate all my carrots, I’d be able to see in the dark. But all sayings come from somewhere, right?
In fact, carrots contain Vitamin A which the body needs for normal eye function but doesn’t necessarily improve your sight but can maintain it, so grandma wasn’t totally wrong, I guess.
My personal favourite is “Laughter is the best medicine” because in some cases the best medicine is likely to be antibiotics, but there are vast benefits to a little laughter. It is not uncommon to hear people say that it’s good for the soul, and anyone suffering with poor mental health will say they felt better after watching some comedy or spending time with friends.
The Science Behind The Saying
A study by two professors at Loma Linda University in California showed some amazing results in the health benefits of laughter. Lower blood pressure was seen resulting in a reduction of risk of stroke or heart attack. Unsurprisingly, a reduction in stress hormone production was also seen, a god send for poor mental health sufferers. In turn, this may increase immune system performance due to the increase in T-cell function.
Adding laughter to your abdominal exercise routine can be beneficial, having a good hearty laugh causes the muscles in the abdomen to expand and contract much like during a workout, allowing the muscles you are not using to relax. Similarly, your cardiac health can strengthen with a chuckle here and there as it can get your heart pumping, and much more enjoyable than a run on a treadmill.
We all hear about chocolate and exercise releasing the feel good hormones called endorphins, but laughter releases the exact same hormones which are nature’s own painkillers, so anyone with pain would definitely enjoy a laugh and joke to ease the discomfort.
More Laughter Benefits
Many are seeing the benefits of laughter, so much so that Laughter Yoga (Hasyayoga) is becoming more and more popular in the health and wellbeing sector. It is believed that voluntary laughter has incredibly similar psychological and physiological benefits to involuntary laughter.
Best of all, laughter is free! So, find a funny TV show to watch, a comedy film or a good comedy book and get ready to feel fabulous both physically and mentally.