Laughing could help people sleep better because it encourages the body to produce melatonin, a hormone responsible for regulating sleep cycles, research suggests. Researchers analyzed the levels of melatonin in the breast milk of nursing mothers and found that more melatonin was present in the breast milk of participants who had viewed a comedy movie than in the breast milk of women who had viewed an informational weather program. It is not known why laughter helps with melatonin production, but researchers believe it might be because laughter decreases stress levels.
More about the benefits of laughter:
- The first research on the health benefits of laughter was by Norman Cousins, who suffered from the spine condition ankylosing sodalities, in 1979 when he wrote in his autobiography that he used laughter as medicine. He claimed that 10 minutes of laughter reduced his pain and helped him sleep for two hours.
- Research found that blood sugar levels were lower in diabetics who laughed after a meal than in those who did not.
- Laughing 100 times is estimated to burn the same number of calories as spending 15 minutes pedaling on a stationary exercise bicycle.
Follow wiseGEEK
More Info: psychologytoday.com
Discussion Comments
@Chmander - Well, it all depends on your personal preference and taste. After all, everyone's different, right? Either way, I have a few recommendations. First and foremost, I'd recommend you watch The Lego Movie. Without spoiling anything for you, it's a rather hilarious lego comedy about an ordinary construction worker who gets into all sorts of misadventures. If you've played with legos when you were a kid, you'll even get a lot of missed references.
The second recommendation I have is a movie called Liar Liar. It's a bit outdated, and the humor might not exactly work for you, but it's a worth a try anyway. However, relating back to this article, the most important thing that you need to do is to have fun when you watch these, and make sure to get plenty of laughs.
Lately, I haven't been in a very good mood. Does someone have some comedy movies that they could recommend to me? Sure, it may not take away my troubles away completely, but I'm sure that it would be good for reducing my stress levels.
Without a doubt, laughing gives you a great sense of pleasure unlike any other. Generally speaking, this is one of the main reasons why people watch funny movies when they're depressed or in a bad mood. Not only does the movie help the person to take their mind off of whatever it is they're struggling with, but even more so, the funny scenes (which cause laughter in the person) can and will reduce their stress levels.
Post your comments