🍎 Today’s Health Tip ~ Lighten Up & Laugh More

Laughter is Great Medicine

Laughter changes body chemistry and brain function. Laughter increases heart and respiratory rates as well as oxygen consumption over a short period. After these initial changes, a person moves into a state of relaxation. 

• • • Laughter affects heart function. It increases stroke volume and cardiac output, and it dilates blood vessels.
    • After intense laughter, muscle tone
    • Watching humorous videos revs up the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). However, this does not increase blood pressure.
    • Laughter lowers levels of the stress hormone, cortisol.
    • Laughter activates the mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system in the brain.
    • Laughter increases serum immunoglobulins A and E. In most studies, it seems to increase natural killer cell activity as well.
    • It raises levels of beta-endorphins (the feel-good chemicals of the body) and increases human growth hormone

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