The bond that we have with our pets is a unique and valuable thing, something that all good pet owners treasure dearly. However, it’s not just a positive, it’s a legitimate health boost for both human and pet in variety of ways. Here are just some of the ways that it can have a real impact on your health.
Great therapy for a host of conditions
Several case studies have been done with therapy animals to show how they can help people who have dealt with a wide range of conditions, surgeries and treatments. From a decreased sensation of pain in fibromyalgia patients to increasing social positive behaviours amongst children with an autism spectrum disorder, pets can see an increase in a wide range of symptoms and complaints.
Improved overall wellbeing
We’ve all heard anecdotes of how owning pets, especially cats and dogs, can help with stress and depression, but there have been significant studies to back up those stories, as well. By measuring the physical symptoms, studies have been able to find that pet ownership can even lower the blood pressure response to mental stress. Pet ownership has also been shown to help raise mood in cases of depression, as well.
Better heart health
Besides the reduced blood pressure response to stress, there are plenty of ways that pet ownership improves our heart health and actually improves the life expectancy of an owner. Pet owners are less likely to develop heart disease, more likely to survive heart attacks, and so on. This is considered in part to be due to their stress relieving properties as well as to the increase of physical activity, as we will cover more in a little bit.
The responsibility of ownership
When you own a pet, you recognise that you are responsible for them and that they need you. As such, this can do a lot to improve self-esteem, as well as to help owners make healthier choices for the benefits of both. From taking them on walks to choosing healthy foods like Barking Heads and Meowing Heads with an emphasis on identifying nutritional value, it increases a person’s overall awareness of healthy living and standards. As such, people with pets are more likely to adopt better health habits for themselves, as well.
More physical activity
One of the healthier habits is an increase in physical activity. Those who walk their dog tend to see most of this, but simply owning an active pet is likely to make you more active in playing and spending time with them. Not only does this improve heart health and help deal with stress, but it’s also an essential tool for fighting obesity and the risk factor that it plays in a wide range of chronic health conditions.
Bonding with a pet can be so good for your health than even visiting an animal has been shown to have some health benefits. You don’t need a justification to love being a pet owner, but the health benefits are just another reason to make it a lifelong habit.
