How Pets Affect Human Health

How Pets Affect Human Health

If you look at human history, you will see that people have lived with animals for centuries. However, the way people treat them has dramatically changed more recently. Humans have stopped perceiving animals as a means to guard their houses or control pests. Nowadays, many people decide to get a pet without any clear benefits. They want to have a friend they can take care of.

Nonetheless, such altruistic intentions yield benefits for humans anyway, especially in terms of their health and well-being. Furry friends like dogs and cats positively affect people’s emotional and physical states. You might have heard about such a concept as pet therapy that proves once again how much it is useful to interact with animals. It is extremely effective when it comes to mental disorders like depression and anxiety. Animals serve as preventive measures and help cope with acute conditions. If you want to find out how exactly pets can help you, keep reading.

Mood Boost

The rapid pace of life makes people suffer from fatigue and mood swings. Sometimes it can be hard to find something pleasant and cheer yourself up. The older you become, the more complicated this task seems. When you have a pet, it is easier to meet this challenge since it can be enough to spend about ten minutes with a four-legged friend to increase your mood. You can either interact with it or just watch it to decrease your anxiety, thanks to reducing the cortisol level. In fact, positive emotions you experience while communicating with your pet will make a difference in your physical state.

Improved Heart State

It is interesting that pet owners have better heart rates and face fewer cardiovascular issues. The study showed that people who had never got a pet were 45% more likely to experience a heart attack than pet owners. It can be connected with a decreased stress level, improved blood pressure, and many other health benefits that people get when having a pet. Even the very process of feeding your dog with the best dog food for large breeds or goodies may bring positive emotions. Indeed, many heart disorders occur due to constant stress and dissatisfaction with life.

Better Blood Pressure

Everybody knows that you shouldn’t forget about a proper diet and physical activity if you want to stay healthy. Many adults suffer from increased blood pressure, and it is when a pet can come to the rescue. The studies have shown that people who own pets face such health issues far less frequently compared to pet-free ones. Besides, another research has shown that kids with high blood pressure can normalize their states if they pet their furry friends more often.

Prevention of Depression

Your fluffy buddy loves you for who you are and no matter what. It doesn’t care about your social status, income level, and whether you have the latest iPhone model. Your pet is always ready to play and cheer you up or become your shoulder to cry on. Thus, it may help you prevent or ease depressive states. You always have someone to talk to and interact with, so you can deal with loneliness and dark thoughts. Most pet owners feel calmer and happier when their furry friend is somewhere around. Besides, when you take care of another living creature, read cat food reviews, groom it or walk, your thoughts have brighter shades.

Increased Physical Activity

Even the laziest dog owner is twice as active as an average pet-free couch potato. You have to go outside and take at least a 30-minute walk with your favorite daily, so you spend more time in the fresh air and keep moving. Besides, most dog owners take a stroll twice a day, so their activity level is even higher, and it is not to mention throwing a ball and other active play movements. Some cat owners are not deprived of physical activity too, since some cats are very playful and make their owners participate in all the games.

Better Socialization

People can be divided into extroverts and introverts. These two groups need different levels of interaction with other humans. However, one way or another, but they both need someone to talk to. One of the keys to a healthy mind is to stay in touch with other people. Pet owners face fewer communication issues since the very fact of owning a furry buddy is a perfect ice breaker. Dog owners are especially talkative, so you will always have a chance to start a casual conversation. In other words, you can broaden your social circle and feel less lonely. Every city has at least several big dog parks, so why not give it a try? It is a great way to deal with your excessive shyness and become more open-minded.

Strong Immunity

Some parents create sterile conditions for their kids and wonder why the latter have such weak immune systems. Children who have grown up with pets have stronger health and are less likely to develop allergies. When you interact with different potential allergens, your body develops immunity that helps you stay healthy till old age. Even though animal allergies are considered the most common trigger of asthma, the studies showed that kids who had grown up with cats were less likely to develop this disorder. However, it is not about cases when a kid’s mom has a cat allergy.