Benefit of laughter: 15 minutes of laughter equals the benefit of 2 hours sleep
When we were kids, we used to giggle all the time. Neglecting all the worries we were happy living in this world. But as we grow, life gets harder. And as adults, our laughter gets more infrequent and may even fade away. But do you know that there are numerous health benefits of laughter? Yes! Staying happy can add years to your life.
They say that in the mid of our laughter, our body undergoes serious transmutations. Consequently, we heal mentally, physically and emotionally. Are you wondering what happens psychologically when we laugh?
You might have heard that “Laughter is the best medicine”. And it is true!
There are a lot of health benefits of laughter. A good laugh can bring stability in your state of mind and your body. Giggling out loud is exceptionally powerful.
To mention a few, below are listed some benefits of laughter.
- relaxes your body.
- burns calories.
- releases chemicals (endorphins) in your body that make you feel good.
- protects your heart.
- improves your immune system.
- reduces your anger level.
- decreases anxiety and tension.
- lowers the level of stress hormones.

Moreover, when we spend joyful time with our loved ones, our bond with them strengthens. We feel cheery and less burdened. Ultimately, protecting us from the damaging effect of any stress we are going through.
Many people would have already known the above-given benefits of laughter. And many would have even registered with the amusement clubs for the same. But, do you know, in addition to the stated benefits, laughter helps you sleep well.
Now comes up the question – Does laughter help you sleep? If your answer is NO. Read on.
According to Japanese researchers laughing just before going to bed leads to more generation of melatonin in the body that allows you to have a sounder sleep.
Melatonin is a natural hormone secreted by the pineal gland of your body. Melatonin tells you when you should get sluggish. You might be astonished to know that this pineal gland is also your spiritual antenna. And when you are healthy and rest properly, it helps you in attaining higher-level consciousness and connects you to the divine.
In reality, when we laugh, the release of endorphins is triggered. This feel-good chemical (endorphins) moves to the pineal gland through the blood. It further aids the influence of hormones like serotonin, DMT and melatonin. A lot of information here!
All this difficult to understand information emphasizes what happens physiologically when we laugh.
Now when you are not able to have a good sleep, ask yourself, do you laugh enough? Once you embrace the laughter into your life, you will get an answer for yourself to question does laughter helps you sleep?
Let us explore the similarities between sleep and laughter to prove the statement!
- Our laughter boosts the immune system, and our body releases immunoglobulin A in a similar way as when we sleep.
- Stress hormones reduce when we laugh. Similarly, when we nap, our body relaxes, and stress hormones drop to a great extent. It is the reason that doctors recommend to join a recreational club or have a sound sleep, to their patients suffering from depression.
- On laughing, the muscles of the face tone. Thus, the ageing process slows down. And indeed, we all know that a good eight to nine hours rest is a must if we want to look younger for a longer time.
- When we laugh or sleep, our body gets rid of unwanted toxins in both cases.
- Both laughter and sleep stimulate the production of lymphocytes (consisting of T-cells) that attack cancer.
- The preferred source of energy in our body is glucose. And glucose is prepared in a better way when we have are ecstatic. The same holds when we have a deep sleep. That’s why we feel energetic after laughing or sleeping.
Therefore, 15 minutes’ laugh equals 2 hours of sleep!
However, there are some additional benefits of a good nap that laughter cannot provide. For instance, we are certainly wide awake while laughing and, we cannot overlook our worries completely. But when sleeping, we tend to be in a trance and forget them for straight 7 to 8 hours. Consequently, rest and heal in a better way.
Now that we are addressing sleep, laughter and their relationship, let’s see what is sleep laughing and why it happens. No doubt, a burst of good laughter helps to have a sound sleep, but laughing at the nighttime isn’t always a matter of merriment.
Generally, sleep laughing in adults is a harmless physiological phenomenon, also known as hypogeal. We laugh in our sleep in response to a dream. In exceptional cases, sleep laughing adults suffer from a neurological disorder.
However, when it comes to sleep laughing child, the idea behind it is not clear. It is impossible to know whether babies dream. Studies claim that sleep laughing in a child is a reflex and not a response to a vision. According to many researchers, infants smile during active sleep. During this sleep, their body makes involuntary movements that may contribute to smiles during sleep. Cute though!
- Try going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.
- Avoid sleeping for a long duration, even on weekends.
- Spend some time in the daylight.
- Take a nap early, or not at all.
- If you have trouble sleeping at night, then avoid taking afternoon naps.
- Don’t stay up for late-night TV shows or Netflix!
- Invest 30 – 40 minutes in exercising every day.
- Have a walk in the garden nearby.
- Have a restraint on your eating and drinking habits. Be sensible about what you have.
- Avoid heavy meals at night.
- Cut on sugar foods.
- Avoid taking alcohol and cigarettes.
- Balance your liquid intake. Limit the intake of fluids after the evening.
- Keep your room clean, calm and with dim lights at night.
- Make sure that your mattress and pillow are comfortable.
- Stop worrying unnecessarily.
If after practicing the above tips on how to sleep through the night, you fail to have a sound sleep, you might need expert assistance. Don’t hesitate to talk to your doctor. They are there to help you with any issue related to your body!
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