Laughter not only offers a fun and enjoyable time, it is also essential for your overall health – both mentally and physically. The best thing that you can do for yourself is learning to lighten up and letting the kid in you become an important part of your everyday life.

It has often been said that laughter is the best medicine – but how much truth does that sentence hold? Actors and comedians make lots of money each year – for doing one thing – making us laugh. Laughter helps us to maintain a positive and healthy outlook on life – and having a positive outlook on life helps us to handle those times when laughter is not a possibility.

Since ancient times, laughter has been a part of successful and happy lives. The sacred strength of laughter is highly revered in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian spiritual traditions. The ancient rishis of India practiced a form of yoga entitled “laughter yoga” as far back as 5000 years ago. Now, there are laughter yoga clubs all over the world.

Laughter provides many therapeutic effects to your body. A deep belly laugh can aid your respiratory system by opening your lungs, relieving tension in your chest, and stretching your diaphragm. For those who suffer from emphysema or asthma, laughter can help to clear mucus and aids ventilation allowing you to breathe easier. Laughter can also help the circulatory system by improving blood vessel function, reducing your blood pressure and your heart rate, and enhancing your blood oxygen levels. Laughter provides natural pain relief by releasing endorphins; natures pain reliever, into your system.

Laughter also has an effect on your overall health – both mentally and physically – and can improve your life in many ways. Laughter helps to boost your body’s immune system by increasing the amount of T-cells that your body produces. T-cells are the cells that kill harmful bacteria. Laughter can help fight off upper respiratory infections by increasing the amount of antibodies in your saliva. Laughter also increases your body’s overall immunity by instantly releasing immune cells and cancer fighting proteins into your body. There have been hundreds of cases where laughter has been found to be the leading cause of bringing people who have been diagnosed as terminally ill back from the brink of death – even those who have been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Laughter can also help you lose weight by reducing your craving for food and burning calories. Can you think of an exercise that is more fun than laughter? Laughing for ten minutes burns 40 calories – almost the magic answer – an exercise that is enjoyable and one that helps to curb your appetite. As a workout, a deep belly laugh exercises your diaphragm, works out both the abs and the shoulders, and gives you a feeling of relaxation at the end of your workout.

One of the most important benefits of laughter is the relief of stress. Many illnesses – both physical and mental – are caused from stress. Laughter decreases the levels of stress hormones in your body, including cortizol, adrenaline, epinephrine, and dopamine while at the same time increasing the levels of healthy hormones such as endorphins and neurotransmitters. There are many things in life that cause stress – work problems, money problems, illnesses, and relationship problems. Learning to reduce stress is one of the best ways to improve your physical health and your mental outlook on life. Laugh long, laugh hard – live long, live strong!