Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Laugh your way to better and stress-free life

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Given the amount of damage that stress, anger and illness does in our lives, it is worth creating a way that lowers stress and boosts health as well as make us feel better at any time. We observe in our daily life that laughter can change people and heal emotional and psychological problems.


Laughter can make you more comfortable and raise your spirits up as if you are doing small natural exercise. No matter how down and out we feel, it is a stress-reducer, immunity-booster and heart helper. It is worth knowing that a hearty laughter triggers the release of endorphins that lift your mood and also diminish pain while protecting you by reducing effects of stress. Moreover, laughter also improves respiration and stimulates blood circulation.


What may surprise you even more is the fact that researchers estimate that laughing 100 times is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing can be a total body workout! Blood pressure is lowered, and there is an increase in vascular blood flow and in oxygenation of the blood, which further assists healing.


Sadly, we got to know people often store negative emotions, such as anger and sadness, rather than expressing them. Laughter provides a way for these emotions to be harmlessly released. That’s why some individuals who are upset or stressed out go to a funny movie, so they can laugh the negative emotions away.


Besides that, different studies have come to the conclusion that laughter is linked to improving natural killer cell activity, which in turn can help increase disease resistance and decreased morbidity in those with cancer or other chronic diseases. However, there is discord among researchers about that. But I would say that it is definitely a holistic chronic illness therapy in the long run as it improves immune system and reduces pain, making it easier for you to cope with difficult situations and help lessen your depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.


Nowadays, stress of everyday life has the potential to inhibit our happiness. Just a minute of laughter each day releases the muscular tightness related to tension and stress for up to 45 minutes while also reducing the production of stress hormones, such as cortisol.


On other hand, instead of complaining about life’s frustrations, try to laugh about them. If something is so frustrating or depressing it’s ridiculous, realise that you could look back on it and laugh. I would say here: fake it until you make it, so smile more and fake laughter, hopefully you’ll still achieve positive effects and the fake merriment may lead to real smiles and laughter.


Can a laughter be prescribed? Although there are limitations to the current researches on laughter, enough evidence indicates that laughter may be employed as part of our basic therapy to help prevent diseases, reduce costs, and ensure a healthier population. While more research must be done, it is also important to acknowledge there is not much to lose in laughing!


So, prescribe yourself laughter, still it is free, and remember that a laughter a day keeps a doctor away!


Dr Yousuf Ali al Mulla, MD, Ministry of Health. He is a medical innovator and educator. For any queries regarding the content of the column, he can be contacted at: dryusufalmulla@gmail.com


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