There are many benefits of gratitude for the health of those who practice it, cultivating gratitude not only helps us cultivate emotional well-being and regulate stress, but also has a positive impact on physical health.
Unsurprisingly, gratitude is beneficial to emotional health, what is a little more impressive is that being grateful helps improve physical health, especially in the culture of healthy mens in corpore healthy (healthy mind in healthy body). it’s a double-edged sword, because it also works backwards: the body is sane.
- The good news is that whatever method we use to thank.
- All our gratitude will somehow improve our health.
- Thanks to the wonderful neurological effects gratitude has on us.
A recent study published in April 2017 found that people who feel and express gratitude report fewer symptoms of physical illness and better sleep quality. While the immediate effects of gratitude are clear, the authors argue that gratitude also contributes to long-term success in relationships and personal well-being.
A 2009 study by the US National Institutes of HealthThe U. S. (NIH) discovered that the hypothalamus is activated when we feel grateful to do things with altruistic intent. While this can be hard to believe, this research supports the claim that we literally cannot function well without gratitude, because the hypothalamus is the part of our brain that regulates important bodily functions, such as appetite, sleep, temperature, metabolism and growth.
The good news is that gratitude is addictive, in a good way, acts of kindness and thanksgiving release large amounts of dopamine, a natural reward that acts as a stimulus for us to remain motivated to cultivate our own gratitude.
It can be hard to believe that something as simple as being grateful can relieve physical pain. However, that is absolutely true; Many studies prove this For example, according to a 2012 study published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, grateful people experience less pain and claim to feel healthier than others.
This is not in vain, because gratitude promotes the release of dopamine, and can also help improve physical pain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the treatment of pain and its analgesic effect is very important.
In addition, the survey found that grateful people are also more interested in taking care of their health and exercising more; In fact, people who cultivate gratitude exercise more often and are more likely to undergo medical testing, which is likely to contribute to their longevity.
On the other hand, it has also been found that when it comes to physical health, gratitude can lower blood pressure and improve immune function, in addition, gratitude is associated with higher levels of good cholesterol (HDL) and lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL).
It is also associated with a reduction in creatinine levels, an indicator of the kidneys’ ability to filter waste from the bloodstream, as well as reducing levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammation factor and heart disease.
One of the reasons gratitude improves emotional and physical well-being is that it improves sleep quality; several scientific studies on gratitude have yielded the same result: gratitude increases sleep quality, decreases the time it takes to fall asleep, and prolongs sleep duration.
As mentioned above, sleep is one of the many vital facets controlled by the hypothalamus; Because gratitude activates it, sleep is linked to many bodily functions, such as those related to anxiety, depression, pain and stress, not to mention the immune system.
The key is what we think when we try to fall asleep, if you have concerns or something causes you anxiety, the level of stress in the body increases, which reduces sleep quality, prevents you from sleeping and prevents you from sleeping. think about those things you are grateful for, your thoughts will induce you a relaxation response, which will help you sleep.
Sleeping better means being more relaxed, which is good not only for our mental health, but also for our heart and nervous system, as it helps us better manage stress.
In a 2007 study on the benefits of gratitude in patients with hypertension, the results showed a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure. Participants counted their blessings once a week. This research also revealed that writing in a gratitude journal can lower blood pressure by 10%. .
Other studies have shown that gratitude helps reduce cortisol, stress hormone, and has also been linked to higher levels of heart rate variability, a good marker of health status that can help diagnose stress conditions.
It has also been found that gratitude makes us more resistant to trauma and stressful events, and that it helps us recover from something traumatic.
Several studies on the benefits of gratitude have shown that keeping a gratitude journal or writing and sending thank you notes can increase our long-term happiness by more than 10%. In this regard, a 2005 study also showed that keeping a gratitude journal reduced depression by more than 30% during the study period.
Another more recent study found that all subjects with anxiety and depression who participated in an experiment in writing thank you letters showed significant changes in their behavior.
In addition, thanks to MRI images, it was found that not only was there an increase in neural modulation, caused by changes in the median prefrontal cortex, but they were also able to better manage negative emotions (such as guilt). were more willing to be helpful, empathetic and kind.
Another study, conducted in 2012 by Chinese researchers, found that gratitude has a profound effect on sleep with very positive implications for people suffering from anxiety and depression.
They found that in people with depression, the amount and quality of sleep were not related to the lowest scores of depression, which was associated with gratitude in alleviating their depressive symptoms, regardless of the duration or quality of the patient’s sleep. The benefits of gratitude may be decreased symptoms associated with depression.
However, in subjects suffering from anxiety, sleep and reduced anxiety were associated, which led to the conclusion that lower anxiety scores were the result of healthy sleep; although the result was indirect, the thanks also led to a better sleep, which led to a better dream. reducing anxiety.
With everything we’ve just seen, it’s no wonder to say that gratitude makes us stronger both physically and mentally, on the one hand, gratitude makes us healthier and, on the other hand, helps us to be more optimistic and have more energy.
Gratitude research has repeatedly shown that grateful people have higher energy levels, are more relaxed, are happier and healthier, leading us to the conclusion that being grateful has the potential to extend our lifespan.