The A-Z Health Benefits Of Being A Pet Owner

Owning a pet is not just about unconditional love; your furry friend could decrease depression, stress and anxiety and improve your health by lowering your blood pressure, improving your immunity and decreasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

Now to the A-Z health benefits of owning a pet: 

Pets decrease stress: 

Studies have shown that during stressful task a person that had had a pet with them experienced lesser stress than those with a spouse, family member or close friend. Pets have also been found to be of great help in centers specializing in de-addiction.

Pets help lower blood pressure:

Having a pet as a dog helps to lower blood pressure especially in high risk or hypertensive individuals; a lot of this could be attributed to reducing stress. You could lose anything, but once a pet owner you would never lose the unconditional love of a pet.

Pets lower cholesterol:

Pets lower cholesterol in owners especially men who experienced significant lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels than those who don't have pets. Probably it could be attributed to the healthy lifestyle that these pet owners enjoy.

Pets help ease pain: 

They are best recommended for persons that suffer from chronic pain like migraines or arthritis; this could probably be attributed to reduction of anxiety. Those who use pet therapy while recovering from surgery need less pain medication than those who do not.

Pets monitor blood sugar levels for diabetics:

Certain studies have found that every 1 out 3 pets living with diabetics change their behavior when their owner’s blood sugar level dropped. This has resulted in organizations like Dogs4Diabetics to train dogs to be companions for patients at risk of unstable blood glucose levels.

Pets improve the mood: 

Along with health benefits that arise out of mental and emotional benefits, there is more of happiness and laughter in the lives of pet owners. This is the reason dogs are being used to help soldiers dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder; they show a decreased suicide rate. Also having a pet to care about gives them someone they are responsible for and who cared for them, so they didn’t have to explain what they've been through.

Pets help people to socialize:

Having a pet as a dog increases one’s opportunity to socialize; taking the dog for walks and runs actually increase the social contact and socialization within neighborhoods and even a greater perception to observers that the neighborhood seems 'friendly.

Pets prevent allergies and improve immunity:

Pets dramatically improve immunity and prevent allergies; the more pets you have earlier in life, the fewer allergies you will develop. This is proved by kids that grow up on farms and were around animals. However getting a pet as an adult will not minimize allergies, but could only prevent certain allergies from developing in children.

Pets prevent strokes:

Cats as pets are equally useful; you are 30% less likely to have a heart attack and 40 percent less likely to have a cardiovascular incident like a stroke by owning a cat. Pets are also very beneficial while recovery from health disorders like heart attack and stroke.

Pets help children to develop:

Pets lead to emotional development of children and they learn to express themselves in more ways and relate better. They have been found to be very beneficial to children suffering from autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); taking care of a pet can encourage them to focus on responsibilities through a predictable routine, with the sensory experience of holding and petting an animal being soothing for children with autism. 

Image Courtesy: Google