January 2010 [Volume 9, Issue 1]

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In this issue of To Your Health:

• Laughter is the Best Medicine
• Exercise: Good for You, Good for Baby
• 11 Ways to Get a Great Night's Sleep

Laughter is the Best Medicine

It's a well-known saying that may actually be true, according to a number of studies. Evidence suggests laughter is a true health promoter, helping reduce stress, boost your heart rate, increase circulation, and even burn calories.

For example, laughter helps combat stress, which is well-known to decrease immune-system response. Less stress means a better immune system, making your body less prone to infection and disease. Reducing stress levels also makes it easier to fall asleep, and poor and/or inadequate sleep can contribute to a whole host of negative health consequences.

But how could laughter possibly burn calories? It's actually a simple concept, if you think about it: When you laugh, your body moves in various ways; muscles throughout the body stretch and, depending on the strength of the laugh, your abdomen and other areas of the body may even contract repeatedly. Now that's a workout and a laugh all in one!

Exercise: Good for You, Good for Baby

It's common knowledge that regular exercise is all-the-more important during pregnancy. Why? Well, for one thing, because the combination of developing child, hormonal fluctuations, and other factors means you will likely gain a moderate amount of weight as part of the natural process.

Moreover, as any mother will tell you, delivering a baby can be a physically traumatic - albeit joyous - experience; exercise in the months leading up to that day helps strengthen your muscles and heart, which can be placed under severe stress during delivery.

Less well-known is that exercising during pregnancy may make for a healthier child. Consider a recent study involving pregnant women (ages 30-35) who were divided into two groups - one group that performed moderate-intensity aerobic exercise for 30 minutes per day at least three times per week, and a second group that did not perform regular exercise over the same time period. The study revealed the following:

• Fetal heart rate was significantly lower (a good thing, within reason) in the exercise group during fetal breathing and non-breathing movement periods.
• Fetal short-term and overall heart rate variability (indicative of a mature neurologic system) were higher in the exercise group during breathing movements.
• The exercise-exposed fetuses had higher measures of vagal (cardiovascular) control during breathing movements.

Talk to your doctor about the benefits of exercise and which specific exercises are most appropriate to perform (and which are best to avoid altogether) during pregnancy.

11 Ways to Get a Great Night's Sleep

1. Limit exercise and other stressful activities immediately before bedtime.
2. Remove all distractions from the bedroom that could keep you from sleeping.
3. Organize your life so you can get to bed at a consistent time each night.
4. Sleep on a regular schedule: 4.5, 6, 7.5 or nine hours is ideal because it marks the completion of a sleep cycle.
5. Buy a pedestal fan to help you sleep deeply; point it at your face (not too close to cause sinus problems).
6. Make sure your bed, mattress and pillow are comfortable enough for you to sleep through the night.
7. Don't drink liquids so close to bedtime that you need to get up in the middle of the night.
8. If you need to fall asleep to TV, music or with lights on, program a sleep timer so they'll go off at a certain time.
9. Minimize or eliminate medication use for pain/sleep/depression if possible.
10. Use natural supplements (only if needed and with advice from your doctor).
11. If you're experiencing sleep problems, talk to your doctor and keep a sleep journal for a few weeks.

Read the full article.

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