How Pets Can Enhance Your Health?

Pets no doubt are the best comrades of a human being. They are the best creatures on earth who will surpass any loyalty test. Pets understand you. Pets care for you. The unquestionable innocence in their eyes reflects the deep embedded love they hold within for you. These lively creatures, though have been rendered speechless forcefully by nature, but their actions, their companionship, their pure love towards their masters is enough to molten even the hardest of the hearts.

Now even science has also plunged into the benefits having a pet. Be it a dog, lamb, a turtle, a tortoise or even a fish. At the university of Miami, a research was done which reiterated that when you domesticate a pet, you are doing a favor not to that animal, but to yourself. In a way, you are enhancing and pushing your own health by adopting pets. It was found that that pet owners were far healthier and fared much better than those who didn’t own a pet. In fact, those who shared a close bonding with their pets were found to be much healthier. This was based on a research done by DR. Allen MacConell, PHD, at the University of Miami.

Even if you are away from active sports life, even then petting and playing with your pet animals everyday will help you reach your fitness goals easily. So here we discuss some benefits of owning pets or how your health is enhanced by pets.

Your dog will not let you suffer from a heart disease easily. The reason being you are gaining a healthier heart when you stroll around with your dog in the evening. When you walk, your blood pressure is lowered and the vessels of the heart are at ease. In fact, if you have some heart disease, it would be in your best interest to pet a dog or any pet with which you can go for a walk. Survivors of heart attacks or those with serious heart ailments generally live longer than those heart ailments patients who don’t own pets. This has been proven by studies. So having a pet greatly enhance your heart health.

In this hustle and bustle of worldly affairs, to lead a stress-free life is out of question. But when you come from work carrying all the burden of work, spending time with your pets can help you in soothing your stress. Dr. Alan Beck, a director at the center of human-animal, at Purdue University, says that when you are in the company of your pet, your blood pressure is low which in turn helps the body to release the relaxation hormone. This hormone eventually slashes the stress levels in the body. It gives a soothing and calm mind relieving it of stress. Thus pets helps in combating and relieving stress.

Pets will help you in associating and connecting with other people in your lives. These pets will establish good bonding and relations with other people. For instance, when you are walking along with your dog and you spot another owner with his/her dog then you two can verily connect well with each other over your pets, which would give increases your social connections and helps interact with other human beings. Because when two like-minded people come across each other who love pets, then the conversations are bound to be healthier. This will give you a peace and calmness of mind. Thus having pets does wonders for your social life and health.

With your pet in your arms, licking you, showering its love on you, you will never be gloomy eyed. You just cannot be. People who have pets are generally happier, cheerful and without loneliness. Dr. Beck even acknowledges this fact that those who have pets seldom visit doctor’s chambers. A popular saying goes like “A healthy body resides in a healthy mind.” And if your mind is healthy, your body will ultimately be sans ailments. So, if you want to be happy and cheerful in life, just go get a pet!

Studies also show that children who are born and grow up in families which have pets are less prone to allergies and asthma. Dr. Beck says that this has to be started when the child is less than 6 months old. One study also showed that babies who lived in homes which have pets are also less vulnerable to infections, cold and cough etc. as compared to those who live in pet-free homes.

Autistic children are those who find it very difficult to communicate with other children of their age group and they have hard time in gelling up with other people. Studies have shown that such children develop very cordial relationships with pets in their homes. Even in classrooms with the pictures of animals on the board, such children will easily relate to them and it becomes easier for them to understand things with the help of pets.

Times have changed now. Depression is no longer a topic that’s brushed under a carpet or talked in hushed tones. Depression is a topic which people talk openly about. Now medical science tells us that those suffering from depression get ample relief if they spent quality time with their pets. This would help a depressed patient in getting out of the pangs of depression in no time.

Researches have actively found that having a pet improves the mental health of an individual. Because in the companionship of a pet, you will be happier and stress free. Pets enhance the mental health by cutting down the stress levels and give a relaxing mood to the person.

When you are running around with your pet, or playing with your pet or going on a walk with your pet, you are enhancing your physical health in the process. Your muscles are pumped up with more blood and your bones are strengthened. Thus this is how pets enhance your physical health.

Dr. Beck also insists on the fact that those who spend considerable time in the company of their pets are less prone to allergies and infections. Pets make their immune system strong and the owner is protected against all sorts of infections and allergies. So pets help in warding off allergies by enhancing our immune system.

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