The sound of children laughing genuinely is one of life’s most beautiful sounds. Whether it’s straight from the belly, a loud chuckle or a full-throated laugh, anyone listening to it can smile at the sound. It also makes one feel liberated and alive and fills one up with joy. Truly said, laughter is indeed the best medicine. Here are some widespread ways in which children can reap the benefits of their own laughter.
Benefits of Laughter
A belly full of laughter benefits the body in many different ways. It can:
Provide pain relief: Children who suffer from pain find relief from endorphins that protect them from pain and make them feel good. This brings down the pain and they begin to feel good. Besides, any humorous distraction can help children handle pain better.
Ease depression and stress: When we laugh, a lot of our systems are involved—muscular, respiratory, circulatory and gastrointestinal. Breathing is rapid, blood pressure is higher and the muscles are taut. When children under stress laugh, their mood improves, they relax physically and mentally and they deal with depression better. With a good laugh, children are less stressed and they feel much better.
Boost immunity: Research indicates that when children laugh, their laughter causes a natural white blood cell that attacks cancer cells and other diseases. These natural killer cells when boosted increase the patient’s resistance by increasing immunity.
Burns calories: Obese children who laugh a lot stand a good chance of burning those calories and losing the extra flab. When children laugh, their facial muscles and abdomen stretch and then flex. By laughing, it has been proved that one can lose a maximum of 40 calories per day.
Build resistance: If children are ever emotionally hurt, one bout of laughter is enough to make them smile and lower their stress and anxiety levels. Though stress motivates us to take action and to concentrate on a given problem, yet laughter directs us to concentrate on finding a solution and obtain productive results.
Helps in overall body functioning: The organs in the stomach region such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, gallbladder, etc are vital to good body functioning. Having a good laugh from time to time helps to massage the stomach region and surrounding organs, thus increasing the blood flow to these parts and improving their overall functioning while also massaging the intestines for better functioning.
Improve creativity and mental alertness: Laughter makes children more creative and mentally sharp. A good laugh brings down mental strain and allows for greater creative thinking. Laughter has a considerable positive contribution to the extent to which you can be creative and innovative.
Reduces the risk of heart disease:Laughter expands the inner lining of the arteries, which enhances the blood’s ability to flow all over the body and so reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. This effect lasts for 45 minutes after the child stops laughing.
Helps sleep well: Just before a child goes to bed, it would help if he has one good laugh. It would help him to sleep well and reduce all his anxieties and stress and stimulate deep sleep.
Energizes the body: When a child laughs, air is ejected out of the lungs and causes him to inhale deeply.When a child breathes deeply, the oxygen flow increases all over the body, leading him to feel doubly energized.
Heals cancer: Laughter releases so much stress that studies now point to the factthat it can heal cancer.
Increases blood flow: Laughter makes children use their respiratory system rapidly and very strenuously for a short time. The intensity of this activity encourages the blood flow to increase as the heart rate increases for a short time. This increases the oxygen blood flow to the brain. An increase in oxygen levels to the brain brings about better brain functioning, since oxygen is basic to keeping the brain in good working order.Besides, heart activity is also boosted because of a high ventilation level of the lungs during a bout of laughter.
Escalates heart health:When a child laughs, his blood pressure and heart rate escalate for the few minutes that he laughs. When he stops laughing, his blood pressure and heart rate return to normal.
Improves respiratory health:A child improves his respiratory health when he laughs by inhaling and exhaling large chunks of air. This gives his lungs the necessary exercise and more oxygen is infused into this bloodstream, which carries oxygen to the brain to develop his thinking capacity.
Recovery from skeletal muscular health: Laughter helps children recover from sore and stiff muscles.
Reducesaggression: It’s not surprising to come across brash and aggressive children. When they want to suddenly lash out or are rude and aggressive, they can get over their aggression by laughing out loud instead of lashing out at people.
Keeps kids happy: When children smile, endorphins or neurotransmitters are released. They are stimulated by the muscles in their faces, decoded by the brain and in turn, these chemicals are released. These endorphins make them feel happy and lower their stress levels. While the endorphins released are increased, proportionately cortisol, the stress hormone is reduced. Cortisol is the hormone that remains active when we are under stress. By lowering these levels, negative feelings can be reduced.
Stimulates homeostasis: A child’s laughter expands his lungs, stretches his muscles andencourages homeostasis. Through these actions, the body is exercised and the cells are replenished with his lungs full of oxygen.
Helps tone the abs: By laughing, children can unknowingly give themselves toned stomach muscles. It works like this: When they laugh, the stomach muscles expand and contract. At the same time, muscles not used to laugh begin to relax. By laughing as often as possible, children can get toned stomach muscles.
Children should be allowed to laugh as often in a day as possible. Tell them a few jokes or just show them how to see the humorous side of life.
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