Humor and Sleep Hygiene’s Potential Benefits for Stress and Immunity

A clown is like an aspirin, only he works twice as fast.
– Groucho Marx

Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.
– Ovid

Have you ever noticed that no matter how difficult the situation, if you can find humor in it, it becomes more manageable? Even in moments of loss, people remember their loved ones by reminiscing about the funny things they did or said. Many circumstances are judged by how they make you feel. Even in the face of serious illness, an active sense of humor can lessen its effects and improve the likelihood of a more positive outcome. These examples suggest that humor appears to buffer against the effects of stress. The effects of a good sense of humor benefit the body in a variety of ways.

Participating in a good laugh is not the only activity you might overlook when it comes to managing stress. A restful sleep provides a wealth of benefits to the mind as well as the body. Think back to the last time you had to get up early and despite having too little sleep, you had to keep going. Consider how the lack of sleep affected your mood, appetite, energy level, performance, and your interactions with others. People often trivialize their need for sleep, despite the numerous benefits it provides to mood, concentration, and coping with stress. The focus on connections between sleep, stress, and health are particularly timely because sleep patterns are changing. Between the late 1950s and the early 1990s, the average reports of adult sleep dropped from 8 to 9 hours a night to 7 to 8 hours a night. Recent studies report increasing numbers of individuals sleeping less than 6 hours a night. The annual direct cost of dealing with sleep deprivation in the United States is estimated to be $16 billion a year. Indirect costs are estimated at $50 to $100 billion and include motor vehicle and other accidents, resultant litigation, property destruction, medical costs, loss of productivity, and death.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources including the “Humor and Sleep Hygiene: Your Natural Allies Against Stress” handout. Students with a last name beginning with A–M, research articles on the effects of humor on stress and health and then respond to Discussion A. Students with a last name beginning with N–Z, research illnesses related to stress and poor sleep habits and then respond to Discussion B.

With these thoughts in mind:

By Day 4

D1-A: Post by Day 4 an explanation of humor’s effect on the health condition. Then explain how humor might impact the stress response. Finally, describe how humor might effectively be used in stress management training. Be specific.

D1-B: Post by Day 4 an explanation of the relationship between sleep and stress, including any impact the relationship may have on stress hormones. Then explain how sleep deprivation and stress might contribute to the development of an illness. Finally, explain two concepts you might include in sleep hygiene education and explain why. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Required Readings

Spaulding, D.T. (2008). Foundations of program evaluation. In Program evaluation in practice: Core concepts and examples for discussion and analysis (pp. 3–35). San Francisco, CA: Jossey–Bass.
Program Evaluation in Practice: Core Concepts and Examples for Discussion and Analysis, 1st Edition by Spaulding, D.T. Copyright 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. – Books. Reprinted by permission of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. – Books via the Copyright Clearance Center.

American Cancer Society. (2008). Humor therapy. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideE…

Benham, G. (2010). Sleep: An important factor in stress-health models. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 26(3), 204–214. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

Bonnet, M. H., & Arand, D. L. (2011). How much sleep do adults need? Retrieved from http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/white-paper…

Capaldi, V. F., II, Guerrero, M. L., & Kilgore W. D. (2011). Sleep disruptions among returning combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Military Medicine, 176(8), 879–888. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

D’Eon, M., Sadownik, L., Harrison, A., & Nation, J. (2008). Using self-assessment to detect workshop success: Do they work? American Journal of Evaluation, 29(1), 92–98. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Sage Premier 2012 database.

Frick, L. R., Rapanelli, M., Bussmann, U. A., Klecha, A. J., Barreiro Arcos, M. L., Genaro, A. M., & Cremaschi, G. A. (2009). Involvement of thyroid hormones in the alterations of T-cell immunity and tumor progression induced by chronic stress. Biological Psychiatry, 65(11), 935–942. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the ScienceDirect Health Sciences Subject Collection database.

Martin, R. A. (2002). Is laughter the best medicine? Humor, laughter, and physical health. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 11(6), 216–220. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Academic Search Complete database.

National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. (2010). What is sleep apnea? Retrieved from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topi…

National Institute on Aging. (2011). A good night’s sleep. Retrieved from http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/good-nig…