How Furry Friends Can Boost Our Physical & Mental Health
If you're already a pet owner, you likely can't imagine life without them by your side. Not only do they offer companionship, they're also great motivators, encouraging us to stay active and engage with the world around us. If you don't yet have a furry best friend, we have compelling reasons why life with pets can boost your well-being. Here are 10 physical health benefits pets provide—and 10 mental ones.
1. More Physical Activity
If you own a pooch, chances are you're almost always outside with them. Dogs encourage and boost physical activity because these furry friends love to go out for walks, so you're bound to meet your daily exercise requirement more often than if you didn't have a fluffy companion.
2. Improved Heart Health
A pet is more than a best friend. Studies have shown that pet owners are less stressed, making them less susceptible to developing chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. This is probably due to the combination of how petting our furry friends helps calm us down and the fact that they might encourage us to get more active.
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3. Lowers Blood Pressure
Lower stress levels mean lower blood pressure—a big reason why pets greatly affect physical health. In fact, research has consistently shown that pet owners have lower blood pressure than those who don't have a pet. So, if you don't already have a furry friend and need a reason to get one, this is it.
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4. Better Sleep
If you suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia, it may help to share the bed and cuddle up with your pets. Because pets can reduce symptoms of stress, they may help you break out of the habit of overthinking before bed and allow you to get your much-needed shut-eye.
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5. Lower Cholesterol Levels
Some studies have also found that pet owners may have lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This might again be attributed to the fact that certain furry friends, like dogs, help us stay active by pushing us to go out for daily strolls.
6. Numb Pain
Petting animals may also have another magical effect: it may temporarily numb pain. Studies on this reveal that pet therapy increases the release of endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers.
7. May Help with Weight Loss
The more active you are with your pet, the higher your chance of losing weight. And because of this boost in physical activity, you're less likely to develop chronic diseases associated with being overweight, such as diabetes.
8. Better Mental Sharpness
Need yet another reason to get a pet? Research has shown that pets can also boost cognitive function and even delay memory loss in older adults. But the results of these studies have been mixed, so while pets may help keep our minds sharp, it's not entirely conclusive.
9. Lower Risk of Heart Attack or Stroke
Because owning a pet can have several benefits, like reduced stress, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels, this in turn lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, heart attack, and stroke. So, saying that furry friends are good for our hearts isn't an exaggeration—it's the truth.
10. Boost Immunity
Interestingly enough, research has shown that infants and children who grew up with a pet in the household were less likely to develop allergies, asthma, and chronic skin conditions like eczema later in life. Not only that, but they also had higher immune system activity. After all, pets can attract lots of bacteria, and early exposure helps the body strengthen its defenses.
But our furry friends don't just offer physical health benefits—they also boost mental health as well. Let's take a look at 10 different ways.
1. Lower Stress
As mentioned, pets can reduce stress and the release of cortisol, which is the body's stress hormone. Even just petting animals for 10 minutes can be therapeutic, helping to slow down breathing, relax tension in the body, and lower blood pressure and heart rate.
2. Reduce Symptoms of Anxiety & Depression
Pets also boost our mood and happiness, providing companionship, which can effectively reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Research has shown that not only is there a spike in the release of feel-good hormones, like serotonin and dopamine, when petting animals, but just looking at them raises levels of oxytocin, the "love hormone."
3. Ease Loneliness
Pets are our best friends. They're there for us whenever we need them, and they can even sense our emotions. When we're feeling isolated or want to take a break from the world, they're there to make us feel less alone.
4. Ease Social Anxiety
Do you have social anxiety? Pets, especially dogs, can help with that. Not only do they push you to go outside more, they'll also make social interactions easier, because what's a better conversation starter than a cute furry friend?
5. Boosts Confidence & Attractiveness
Because pets make social interaction easier, they may help boost confidence, allowing for natural icebreakers. Plus, research has shown that pets can make you look more attractive; in a series of studies, women were more likely to choose men when they had a dog with them, and pet owners looked happier in photos than those without one.
6. Reduce Symptoms of PTSD
Not only do pets help alleviate anxiety and depression, they can also help reduce symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). This ties back to the fact that pets, especially dogs and cats, can sense our emotions and know when to offer support.
7. Promotes Positive Mindset
Pets also allow us to think more positively and can teach us how to practice mindfulness. Going outdoors with your pooch, for example, forces you to stay present in the current moment, taking in your surroundings and acknowledging them one by one. You can then use this as a form of meditation and build a routine around it.
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8. Aids in Coping with Loss
If you've recently lost a loved one, just having a pet nearby can provide invaluable support and support, and ease feelings of grief and loneliness. And since they can read our emotions, they'll know just how to cheer us up and keep us going.
9. Gives You a Sense of Purpose
Being a pet owner is a big responsibility. You need to feed them, play with them, care for them, and provide them with a warm, loving home. And because they're an additional family member, they instill a sense of purpose, giving you a reason to get up in the morning.
10. Offers Unconditional Love & Support
Pets give us unconditional love and support. They want us to be happy as much as we want them to be happy. They're there for us in times of need, listening to us and comforting us, even when they don't entirely understand our language. They're the friend we know we can always lean on.
