Laughter may be the best medicine for stress and your heart because it makes the body release endorphins, which are hormones that reduce stress and inflammation and that help the blood vessels relax.
Sustained stress causes release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can temporarily elevate blood pressure. Over time, chronic stress can lead to sustained high blood pressure (hypertension, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.
Stress impacts the normal rhythm of the heart leading to palpitations. In some cases stressed induced arrhythmias can be serious and require medical attention.
Cholesterol levels can be influenced, because stress can lead to higher levels of LDL (Bad) cholesterol and lower levels of HDL (Good) Cholesterol which contributes to development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Of course, testing and a through examination is necessary to fully investigate and medically treat damage caused by stress related inflammation.
The good news is, daily laughter lowers stress, reduces anger, and forces us to breath.
Laughter increases blood flow leading to release of Nitric Oxide, a powerful chemical that reduces inflammation and prevents buildup of cholesterol.
Laughter counts as Cardio! It gets your heart pumping and burns the same amount of calories as walking. Not to mention, it lowers LDL (Bad) Cholesterol and raises HDL (Good) Cholesterol.
Laughter strengthens your immune system. Studies show that laughing can boost your NK (natural killer) cells. NK cells are a type of white blood cell that play a major roll in fighting off viruses and bacteria.
So, there are lifechanging advantages to adding Laughter as often as possible throughout your day. I'll leave you with this:
Knock, Knock!
Who's there?
Butter
Butter who?
Butter let me in
or I'll freeze :) Enjoy Your Day! Patti
