An apple a day may or may not keep the doctor away, but owning a pet has proven health benefits. Pets reduce anxiety and less anxiety equals less pain.
- Pets have also shown to decrease pain especially for someone experiencing chronic pain such as migraines or arthritis.
- When you come home to a purr or wagging tail at the end of a stressful day, the sudden wave of calm you feel isn’t just your imagination. Research suggests that your fluffy friend truly is good for your physical and mental health. Pets often provide unconditional acceptance and love and they’re always there for you.
- Dogs and cats fulfill the basic human need to touch. Stroking, hugging, or otherwise touching and loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe us when we’re stressed or anxious.
- The companionship of a pet can also ease loneliness. Pets have a way of putting a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
- Caring for a dog can also help children grow up more secure and active or provide valuable companionship for older adults.
- The American Heart Association has linked the ownership of pets, especially dogs, with a reduced risk for heart disease and greater longevity.
Studies have also found that:
- Dog owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
- People with dogs 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 or cat can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calms and relaxes.
- Heart attack patients with dogs survive longer than those without.
- Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels (indicators of heart disease) than those without pets.
- Pet owners over age 65 make 30% fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.
SOURCE – SCRAPS release, February 2017
