Dying Of Laughter Itself Is Not Possible

Category: Finance, Insurance.

When taking out life insurance, many people think of the obvious risks.

But have you ever considered life insurance to cover dying of laughter? Cancer, heart disease and accidents are the main concerns, although thankfully these won t happen to the majority of us. Have you ever considered the possibilities of dying on the toilet? There are many deaths reputed to be attributable to laughter. It happens. As far back as 207 BC a Greek philosopher by the name of Chrysippus was apparently watching his drunken donkey trying to eat figs when he laughed himself to death. His death was put down to heart failure, brought on by the excessive strains of laughing too much.

More recently, a 50 year old bricklayer died after 25 continuous minutes of laughing while watching an episode of the Goodies on TV. Dying of laughter itself is not possible. Thankfully, this is not very likely as, according to health experts, patients with heart disease will laugh less than anybody else. It is thought that it only possible if choking or heart failure occur at the same time. This is due to the stress levels. A weak endothelium can lead to hardened arteries, hardening the heart, quite literally.

Endothelial cells form a protective lining in our blood vessels and stress impairs the production of these cells. It has been surmised that it is possible to suffocate during excessive laughter. This restricts our ability to breath but the automatic breathing response will take over before it s too late. During laughter, the epiglottis constricts the larynx. Laughter has, been found to, in fact be a great medicine. It reduces the stress hormones and our bodies natural produce killer cells to ward off all types of diseases and virus s.

So much so that laughter therapy is now a recognised practice. In fact, laughter is a good all- over workout. Diaphragm, respiratory, abdominal, facial, leg and back muscles are given such a work out that laughing 100 times is the equivalent of 10 minutes on a rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Blood pressure is lowered, there is an increase in vascular blood flow and more oxygen reaches the blood stream. The dangers of a negative lifestyle are well documented. Surely, if laughter is this good for you there should be a clause in life insurance policies to reflect it?

The emotions of a negative person can cause biochemical changes that affect our health adversely. There is a section asking about regular exercise. Is laughing at the cost of life insurance enough? If a gym membership lowers the premiums for life insurance then shouldn t a sunny disposition do the same? There s also the other hidden danger in life that is not mentioned on life insurance policies and that s the risk of dying on the toilet. From slipping on a wet bathroom floor, pulling down a high mounted old- fashioned toilet system, pinching injuries from broken toilet seats to broken hips from slipping off a dodgy toilet seat, toilet injuries are common place but death? It is widely believed, that Elvis Presley, though not proven died whilst on the toilet and he is not the only famous person to have this eulogy.

It really is physically possible to die from going to the toilet. However, it is expected that there will already be a circulatory problem before the event. This is apparently due to a drop in blood pressure due to the parasympathetic nervous system during bowel movements. So, when taking out that life insurance policy, check the small print and ensure you are covered for every day events such as going to the toilet and laughing.