Hug Your Way to Better Health
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s a time to raise awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of individuals, families, and communities and to reduce the stigma so many experience.
According to research and studies, hugs can make an individual feel happy by reducing feelings of loneliness and the harmful effects of stress. Hugs can help reverse stress and anxiety by boosting feel-good hormones.
After news of yesterday’s tragic events in Uvalde, Texas, I didn’t want to do anything more than to hug my eight- and 10-year-old sons.
Want to know the health benefits of hugs? Check out the article, “Four Ways Hugs Are Good for your Health.” Here’s an excerpt:
It improves our sleep. From the benefits of cosleeping with infants to cuddling your partner, gentle touch is known to regulate our sleep, as it lowers levels of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a key regulator of our sleep-wake cycle but also increases when we’re stressed. So it’s no wonder high levels of stress can delay sleep and cause fragmented sleep patterns or insomnia.
It reduces reactivity to stress. Beyond the immediate soothing and pleasurable feelings provided by a hug, social touch also has longer-term benefits to our health, making us less reactive to stress and building resilience …
It increases well-being and pleasure. Across our lifespan, social touch bonds us together and helps maintain our relationships. As noted, this is because it releases endorphins, which make us see hugs and touch as rewarding. Touch provides the “glue” that holds us together, underpinning our physical and emotional well-being …
It could help us fight off infections. Through regulation of our hormones—including oxytocin and cortisol—touching and hugging can also affect our body’s immune response. Whereas high levels of stress and anxiety can suppress our ability to fight infections, close, supportive relationships benefit health and well-being.
