Health and Mood-boosting Benefits of Pets -

Adopting a pet seems to be a selfless act but in reality, there are plenty of selfish reasons to embrace pet ownership.

Numerous researches show that there are lots of benefits in owning a pet at home.

Caring for a dog, cat, or other animals can help relieve depression and anxiety, lower stress, and improve your heart health.

Pets have evolved to become acutely attached to humans and our behavior and emotions. Dogs, for example, are able to understand many of the words we use, but they’re even better at interpreting our tone of voice, body language, and gestures. And like any good human friend, a loyal dog will look into your eyes to gauge your emotional state and try to understand what you’re thinking or feeling.

Pets, especially dogs and cats can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and even improve your heart health.

Caring for an animal can help children grow up more secure and active. Pets also provide valuable companionship for older adults.

Any Pet can improve our health while it’s true that people with pets often experience greater health benefits than those without, a pet doesn’t necessarily have to be a dog or a cat. Birds can encourage social interaction and help keep your mind sharp if you’re an older adult. Snakes, lizards, and other reptiles can make for exotic companions. Even watching fish in an aquarium can help reduce muscle tension and lower your pulse rate.

Studies have shown that:

Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.

People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets. One study even found that when people with borderline hypertension adopted dogs from a shelter, their blood pressure declined significantly within five months.

Playing with a dog, cat, or other pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.

Both Serotonin and Dopamine are chemical messengers which regulate many bodily functions. They have roles in sleep, memory as well as metabolism, and emotional wellbeing.

Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.

Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.

Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

Increasing exercise: Taking a dog for a walk, hike, or run is a fun and rewarding way to fit healthy daily exercise into your schedule. Studies have shown that dog owners are far more likely to meet their daily exercise requirements. A study by the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction found that public housing residents who walked dogs for up to 20 minutes five days a week lost an average of 14.4 pounds in a year, without changing their diets.

Providing companionship: Companionship can help prevent illness and even add years to your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression. Caring for an animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from your problems, especially if you live alone. Most dog and cat owners talk to their pets, some even use them to work through their troubles. And nothing beats loneliness like coming home to a wagging tail or purring cat.

Helping you meet new people: Pets can be a great social lubricant for their owners, helping you start and maintain a new friendship. Dog owners frequently stop and talk to each other on walks, hikes, or in a dog park. Pet owners also meet new people in pet stores, clubs, and training classes.

Reducing anxiety: The companionship of an animal can offer comfort, help ease anxiety, and build self-confidence for people anxious about going out into the world. Because pets tend to live in the moment—they don’t worry about what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow—they can help you become more mindful and appreciate the joy of the present. Research at the University of California at Davis concluded that Alzheimer’s patients suffer less stress and have fewer anxious outbursts if there is a dog or cat in the home.

The benefits of pets for children: Not only do children who grow up with pets have less risk of allergies and asthma, but they may also learn responsibility, compassion, and empathy from having a dog or cat.

One of the reasons for these therapeutic effects is that pets fulfill the basic human need for touch. Even hardened criminals in prison show long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time. Stroking, hugging, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe you when you’re stressed or anxious. The companionship of a pet can also ease loneliness, and most dogs are a great stimulus for healthy exercise, which can substantially boost your mood and ease depression.

Pets carry health risks for some people. While there are some diseases that can be transmitted from cats and dogs to their human handlers, allergies are the most common health risk of pet ownership. If you or a family member has been diagnosed with a pet allergy, carefully consider whether you can live with the symptoms before committing to pet ownership. Also, consider that some friends or relatives with allergies may no longer be able to visit your home if you have a pet.

Are you a pet owner?