We all take life too seriously, as we all get caught up in the business of daily life. But, what do you do when nature takes over and hits you with perimenopause and your mood changes from day to night? Can humor be the cure to perimenopause moodiness? Furthermore, can laughter yoga help with perimenopause symptoms? Let’s find out!
Why is Laughter Good for You?
If you ask any centenarian (person that has lived for 100 years or more) will tell you that the key to a long healthy life is to not take things too seriously and laugh as much as you can. Well, turns out laughter has some health benefits – a simple chuckle can engage multiple organs, it can relieve your stress response and provide relaxation. In the long term, according to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can help the body produce its own pain medicine. So can any of these benefits help a person experiencing those first early symptoms of perimenopause? It’s possible.
What is Laughter Yoga?
Laughter yoga includes various movements and some breathing exercises from yoga to promote intentional laughter. According to Laughter Yoga International, a national organization that specializes in research related to laughter as a form of healing -the body cannot differentiate between intentional/voluntary or real laughter. So their exercises can potentially provide some benefits to help improve your mood.
Benefits of laughter yoga for Perimenopause
- Lifts mood
- Temporarily reduces cortisol (hormone) levels which reduces stress
- Increases endorphins(hormone) which are responsible for relieving pain, stress and improving sense of well-being
- Lowers anxiety
- Improves sleep
- Promotes social function
- Increases life satisfaction
In 2014, a study was performed to get these results of laughter yoga in a group of nursing students where it was concluded that laughter yoga had a positive effect on students’ general health and improved the signs of physical and sleep disorders, lowered their anxiety and depression, and promoted their social function.
It is believed that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter yoga is usually performed in groups, where there is eye contact and much playfulness between the participants. This intentional laughter in laughter yoga then turns into real and contagious laughter. This makes this process more enjoyable.
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-Written by Sushmita Majumdar
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