Heart Disease
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7.7 A study has shown that on average a toddler laughs 300-400 times a day as compared to 10-15 times by adults. This is a shame because laughter has numerous psychological, physiological and therapeutic benefits. Positive emotions like laughter put a new life into body’s healing mechanism (immunity) and make it stronger and resilient.
7.8 Late Khushwant Singh, a world famous writer, said that “you should have a sense of humour and the ability to laugh (at any age) at other people’s foibles as well as your own. You will find lots of things about people which are comic, funny and will provoke laughter. Try it out! It will be good for your health”. A happy person is more likely to be “heart healthy” and “heart smart.” Caution – Persons who are predisposed to asthma may trigger attacks with emotions attached to healthy laughter.
Manage and reduce Stress
7.9 Stress management programmes comprising deep breathing exercises, stretching exercise, Yoga, meditation and massage have been found to be useful in alleviating chronic stress and thus reducing one of the major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. These are approaches that aim at blunting the adrenalin response to stress. The key to manage stress lies in making sure you have time for yourself and look after your body like a temple and give your body the right kind of nutrition. The following suggestions will also help you to get over chronic stress.
7.10 Get regular physical exercise through aerobics; practice deep breathing and relaxation skills; get sufficient quality sleep naturally; enjoy nature and get fresh air; enjoy your favourite recreation; learn time management and delegation techniques; express your aesthetic self; pamper yourself sometimes; keep a pet, especially if you are living alone; develop a sense of humour; give your life a purpose and meaning; deal with emotions constructively; get rid of negativity; have a positive and cheerful attitude; develop meaningful relations with friends and family; develop a support group.
Cultivate Optimism
7.11 A Dutch study in 2006 found that optimists may face a lesser risk of heart attacks and strokes than pessimist people. One possibility is that optimists are better at coping with adversity and may, for example, take better care of themselves when they fall ill. Also optimists were more likely to exercise and an individual’s disposition could affect health through its influence on the nervous, immune and hormonal systems.
7.12 Another study found that optimistic coronary bypass patients were only half as likely as pessimists to require rehospitalisation. Highly pessimistic patients were three times more likely to develop hypertension and people with positive emotions had lower blood pressure. In yet another study it was found that the most pessimistic persons were more than twice as likely to develop heart disease compared with the most optimistic. These results argue persuasively that optimism is good for heart and general health. In addition optimism itself may have biological benefits such as lower levels of stress hormones and less inflammation.
