LAUGH
When it comes to your heart, it is safe to say that laughter IS the best medicine. With 5 quarts of blood pumping through the human body every minute, it is important to maintain a healthy blood flow. Whether it is a true LOL or a simple “Ha-Ha”, a good laugh has been proven to boost your blood flow by 22% and reduce the vascular damages of mental stress.
When mental stress is experienced, the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, endothelium, is more likely to suffer damage, contributing to fat and cholesterol build-up in the arteries. A study by cardiologists at the University of Maryland Medical Center measured the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health. The study showed that laugher plays a role in reversing the negative effects of mental stress by improving vascular dilation and allowing blood to flow more efficiently. Overall, the study found that average blood flow increased 22% during laughter, and decreased 35% during mental stress.
LOVE
Believe it or not, your heart’s health can be improved by utilizing it’s most universal association – Love. Whether it is love for your spouse, family member, friend, or even pet, research has shown that experiencing feelings of love, appreciation, and gratitude have immediate and long-term effects on your heart functioning. These effects, like those of laughter, also reduce the cardiovascular damages of mental stress.
Hormones released by the body contribute to the functionality of your heart and the level of your blood pressure. Studies have shown that a warm embrace with a loved one causes the feel-good hormone, oxytocin, to be released, helping to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. Other hormones that contribute to heart health can be released with a simple glare at “that special someone”. These hormones – dopamine, adrenaline, and norepinephrine – make your heart beat stronger and faster, and have the ability to train your heart to pump blood more efficiently.
Spending time with a loved one has also proved to have a significant effect on lowering blood pressure. When interacting with a loved one, participants demonstrated a lower measurement of blood pressure than when interacting with a stranger. Another study reported in an issue of Human Communication Research demonstrated that simply writing down one’s affectionate feelings on paper has the ability to lower your cholesterol level. Significantly lower cholesterol levels were found in volunteers who wrote about their loved ones three times a day for a period of 20 minutes, over a five-week span.
LIVE
Though not a replacement of exercise and healthy living, taking a break from your stressful lifestyles and making time for love and laughter can really make all the difference, especially to a breaking heart. So, how can you keep your heart healthy with the power of love and laughter?
- Read and share a funny E-mail.
- Replace one of your drama-filled sitcoms with a comedy.
- Don’t be afraid to laugh-out-loud. Take every opportunity and ROFL (Roll On the Floor Laughing, that is)!
- Appreciate your loved ones – take the time to show love and gratitude to those closest to you.
- Give a hug – whether it is a loved one, family, or friend…reach out and release that feel-good hormone for the both of you!
- Love your pets, too!
- Send a love letter, or even a Thank You note.
- Take a few minutes out of your day to sit and talk with someone you care about – even if you have to call.