💪🏽How the Holidays Help Your Health!

Merry Traditions: How Christmas Brings Better Health All Year

It’s that feel-good time of year. Comfort and joy. All is calm. All is bright. The Christmas season brings with it plenty of sights, scents, and sounds that make us feel festive and happy. Many cultures around the world have their unique ways in which they celebrate Christmas and many of these traditions are not only sentimental, fun, and thoughtful, they’re also good for you, body and soul.

While health professionals note that holidays can bring stress from all the activities and preparation, and while some individuals do deal with symptoms of depression this time of year, there is also a whole body of research about the positive impacts of holiday traditions.

“A tradition can act as a glue for ourselves,” reports UNC Health psychiatrist, Dr Nadia Charguia. “Engaging in a family tradition can help us center and remember what truly matters.” ¹

🧠Memory Improvement

Holiday Gatherings: For the extraverts of the world, this is your time. All the gatherings, holiday parties, events, and public Christmas displays mean you’re getting to see all the people all the time. For the introverts, all that people-ing can get pretty tiring. But whatever your personality, there’s a great side effect to all the socializing that happens this time of year; it’s a significant brain booster.

Even though you might feel like you’re just making small talk at all the Christmas parties, it’s good nutrition for your brain. Greeting someone, learning their name, discovering facts about their life and their upcoming travel plans, it all puts your brain through great exercises. You’re reading the room, making connections, engaging in conversation, and your brain is the beneficiary of all that incoming data.

Researchers have studied the impact of attending social gatherings and have found that all that socializing helps improve your memory. For example, a recent review of thirty-nine studies from across Ireland discovered, “Accepting invitations to festive gatherings or hosting your own holiday soiree is great for your brain health…regularly socializing improves working memory (the kind needed to juggle multiple pieces of information at once) as well as thinking speed and decision-making.” ²

 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

Romans 12:10

😄Laughter, the Best Medicine

Holiday Movies, Reindeer Games, and Christmas Plays: Whether it’s watching your kid’s holiday play, complete with mishaps and hilarity, or sitting around the table with your siblings and retelling the most hysterical escapades of your childhoods, laughter is often the song of the season. And make no mistake, when it comes to what gives you the giggles, the health impact of laughter is serious business.

A 2019 study showed that engaging test subjects in laughter-inducing situations reduced levels of depression and also helped subjects achieve better sleep. ³ As we’re heading into the middle of cold and flu season, this upside of laughter is one you’ll appreciate; laughter helps raise your immune system, which gives you some extra umph in the midst of extra germs. ⁴ And laughter certainly does your heart good, with evidence suggesting that the social aspects of laughter, the cortisol-lowering impact, and the physical workout of a belly-laughing experience all help your heart stay healthy. ⁵ (Check out these ideas for keeping Christmas stress at bay.)

“God has brought me laughter.”

Gen. 21:6

🎶Here We Go a-Caroling

Sing, Choirs of Angels: As Buddy the Elf reminded us, “The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.” And that goes for our health, too! 

Recent studies have shown that singing in groups and in choirs releases a host of happy hormones in our bodies, boosting feelings of contentment, joy, relaxation, and connection. Those who regularly participate in group singing show better overall health than the general population and enjoy better memory and cognition. ⁶ Taking time to enjoy some Christmas carol singing this season could be just the thing to lower stress and enhance your Christmas cheer! (Check out this Phil Wickham version of a Christmas classic.)

“Praise the Lord, all you nations! Worship him, all you peoples! Because God’s faithful love toward us is strong, the Lord’s faithfulness lasts forever! Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 117:1-2

⛪Religious Services

Celebrating Advent, attending a midnight Christmas Eve service, these kinds of faith traditions at the holidays are shown to help you sleep better, to have better community connections, and help strengthen your faith walk with God. Candlelight services ⁷ , a tradition in many churches this time of year, not only help you remember the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World, but also are a visible reminder of pushing back the darkness during the shorter times of sunlight during this time of the year. The use of light has been shown to help mitigate the effects of seasonal affective disorder, and from the lights on our Christmas trees to the displays in our neighborhoods, the various traditional lights we use this time of year help stabilize and improve mental wellness. ⁸

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.”

Luke 2:7-9

When you’re a Member of Altrua HealthShare, you’re part of a community of like-minded, health-conscious people who all care for one another through sharing in eligible medical needs. Just like the way holiday traditions can help boost your health, being part of a health community can be a great solution for your medical needs. If you’re already a Member of Altrua HealthShare, be sure to check your HealthWallet app for any reminders about appointments and testing so you can go into the holidays in your best health. If you’re not yet a Member of Altrua HealthShare and would like to learn more about this innovative, flexible, affordable alternative to traditional health insurance, contact a Member Services Representative at 1-888-244-3839.

This Christmas season, may your joy in celebrating the birth of Christ, your laughter with friends and family, times of singing your favorite carols, and gathering with your faith community strengthen your heart and mind for the coming new year. May this Christmas not only make you merry but bring you even more life to the full. 

“I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

John 10:10

¹ https://healthtalk.unchealthcare.org/3-ways-holiday-traditions-can-improve-mental-health/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CA%20tradition%20can%20act%20as%20a%20glue%20for%20our%20selves%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20UNC%20Health%20psychiatrist%20Nadia%20Charguia%2C%20MD.%20%E2%80%9CEngaging%20in%20a%20family%20tradition%20can%20help%20us%20center%20and%20remember%20what%20truly%20matters.%E2%80%9D
² https://www.womansworld.com/wellness/healthy-holiday-traditions
³ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jan.14000
⁴ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0286260
⁵ https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/wellness-insights/heart-health/2020/09/how-laughter-can-help-your-heart
⁶ https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Research-Art-Works-ChorusAmerica.pdf
⁷ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352721818300433
⁸ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/seasonal-affective-disorder-sad/treatment/?utm_source=chatgpt.com