The Health Benefits of Keeping Pets
Pets: you can love and hate them at the same time. One moment theyre sinking their teeth into your expensive shoes, and the next, they shower you with affection. But regardless of what they do and how you feel about them, there is no denying that there are various health advantages of having a pet:
1) Lower stress levels and blood pressure. According to studies conducted at the University of Warwick, interacting with pets (such as stroking them or playing with them) has the tendency to lower a persons blood pressure and relax them. In another study, stockbrokers with high blood pressure readings were asked to adopt a cat or a dog, and those who did were later found to have much lower blood pressure levels in stressful situations that those who did not adopt a pet. Of course, this will not work if you do not like animals or are afraid of them ” then they will probably cause more anxiety than they resolve.
2) Recovery from illness. Pets have been known to help people in miraculous ways, but the most common success stories involve heart attack patients. Many studies have shown that pet owners who have suffered from a heart attack survive longer than those who dont, and have a lower risk of heart disease. Pets also offer a certain amount of social support for someone who someone who spends a lot of time in bed recovering from a disease or surgery, which contributes to a speedy recovery.
Pets have been known to help seriously injured patients to emerge from comas. There is not much research available that supports than claim, but surgeons have recommended pets to be brought in to their injured owners bedside to see if it helps them recover. Dogs, in particular, have also been used in elderly homes because they helped minimize the symptoms of Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease.
3) Social enrichment. As most domesticated animals are very social creatures, pets can be highly enriching to your social life. Whether it is a dog follows you everywhere, or a cat that crawls on to your lap to be stroked, pets provide a constant stream of social interaction. They can also be great ice-breakers and topics of conversation, both among friends and strangers.
4) Happiness. It is often underestimated how much pets can influence our happiness. In many cases they have helped their owners deal with loss and hardships, even helping them fight depression. Some psychologists have even recommended the use of pets in therapy sessions, as petting a rabbit or playing with a dog raises the serotonin levels in our brain. Being greeted by an energetic dog or purring cat that is excited to see you can be very uplifting if you feel like the life just isnt going your way. This is why pets are also used in elderly homes, to help individuals feel less lonely and isolated.
Regardless of whether you break up with a loved one or lose your job, your pet will love you no matter what; and that, in itself, is an essential quality that human beings cannot live without.