Laughter and its Benefits for Seniors

Do you ever look at your elderly loved one and think about how they are enjoying their life? Do they ever smile or laugh? When you were a kid, you must’ve laughed at simple things around you. When someone makes faces or tells a joke, you laugh. For some people, as they grow older, laughter is just something that doesn’t come so easily. As they grow older, they may experience a lot of problems that cause stress or pain. This can affect their mood and prevent them from laughing and smiling often, taking much more effort than it used to.

Today, we share with you some of the reasons why you and your senior loved one should never stop laughing.

• Say goodbye to stress

  When you are stressed, your physical and mental functions are compromised. If you make it a habit to laugh for a few minutes several times a day, your mood will change and your behavior will improve. Feel-good chemicals rush through your body to make you feel better.

  Laughter helps seniors remember happy memories, and it also creates new ones within their social circle. By meeting new people and sharing funny things with them, seniors create a sense of belonging. They also have the chance to widen their understanding about how the world works, especially now that their memory and other abilities are slowly deteriorating.

• Exercises muscles

  Laughing makes you exercise your facial muscles. This is especially true when you laugh genuinely. Also, when you laugh while you move your body, this is already equivalent to an exercise routine if you make it a habit.

• Improves breathing and other bodily functions

  Laughter improves the way you breathe, especially when you take a deep breath of air as you laugh. It can even energize your heart and muscles.

Here at More to Life Adult Day Health Center, LLC, it is important for us to see the genuine smiles on the faces of our seniors. We invite them to enjoy recreational activities like Laughter Yoga and Comedy Hour. If you’re looking for an Adult Day Care Health Center in Sparks, Nevada, feel free to stop by for a tour or call us at 775-358-1988!