In this edition of the Stress Cops PodCast Radio Show we bring you a special article about laughter – a powerful stress reduction and stress management tool. Learn how and what stress does to your immune system, why stress elevates into disease, and how laughter dissolves stress, and even gives you the equivalent of a stress free aerobic workout. You will be surprised.
There is a long history of the use of laughter as stress therapy. In certain places such as India and the Australia outback, laughter has been used for thousands of years as a therapeutic stress reduction and stress management technique.
What Stress Does in the Body
When you process a thought that has an attached an emotion, your body automatically produces certain natural chemicals and hormones. Depending upon the thought, you may produce immune enhancing, stress relieving hormones. But if the thought has attached stress, you will produce hormones that increase your heart rate, tighten your muscles, restrict your blood flow, and stress your immune system.
These stress hormones suppress the immune system, increase the number of blood platelets (which can cause obstructions in arteries) and send your blood pressure soaring. And long term stress also has a serious impact on the adrenal glands, causing them to shrink and become unproductive. This causes cellular damage, and sets off a chain reaction affecting all parts of your body – and accelerates the aging process.
The Effect of Laughter on Stress
But researchers now agree that laughter can reduce your stress and improve your health, and actually brings balance to all the components of your immune system. This helps you actively resist stress related diseases and disorders.
Laughter immediately shuts off the flow of stress hormones and the fight-or-flight compounds that swing into action when we experience stress, anger or hostility.
Plus when we are laughing, our natural killer cells that destroy tumors and viruses increase. So do Gamma-interferon (a disease-fighting protein), the T-cells which are a major part of the immune response, and the B-cells which make disease-destroying antibodies.
Laughter also protects your adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing two primary hormones -- DHEA and cortisol. These hormones are considered the major shock absorber hormones in your body, and buffer you from the potential negative impact stress can have on your mental and physical functions.
The Aerobic Benefits of Laughter
You may be surprised to learn that researchers estimate laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on a rowing machine, or 15 minutes on an exercise bike.
A good laugh can actually provide a total body workout. Your blood pressure is lowered, and the increased vascular blood flow and oxygenation of your blood, further assists healing. Plus laughter also gives your diaphragm and abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles a workout. You can feel exhausted after a strong bout of laughter, because you have actually just had an intense aerobic workout.
The author, Stress Cop Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler, is a pioneer brain/mind researcher, doctor of psychology, author, life adventurer, and international executive advisor. You will find more of her stress management and stress reduction articles at Quantum-Self.com -- the Self Discovery Community, and in the QuantumBrainGym -- the first online brainwave training center.
The Stress Cops Radio Show
We always talk stress management and stress reduction.
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