How does owning a pet benefit your health? By keeping a pet animal, you can get a better quality of life, not just in terms of physical health but also psychological health. Well take a look at these five benefits you can get from owning a pet, according to Woman’s Day.
1. Reduce stress
Based on a research by a team from the State University of New York, it was found that when someone have a job full of pressure, their stress levels will be reduced when they are accompanied by pets. This also have been compared to when they accompanied by their partner, close friends or other family members.
2. Lowers blood pressure
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States, having a pet is also beneficial to lower your blood pressure, especially in people with hypertension.
“If there are dogs around you, it can decrease blood pressure,” said Marty Becker, author of “Your Dog: The Owner’s Manual”.
3. Reduce pain
Believe it or not, pet animals are the best pain relief medication. Especially for people who experience migraines or chronic pain. “It’s like Valium, having a pet can reduce anxiety. If anxiety is reduced, it means that pain is reduced as well, “said Becker.
4. Lowers cholesterol
According to the CDC, owning pets make people’s heart healthier because it can reduce levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. It is known that men who have pets have lower levels of triglycerides (fats) and cholesterol compared to men who do not have pets.
5. Prevent stroke
“If you have a cat, the risk of getting a heart attack decreases by 30 percent. Then the risk of stroke can be reduced by 40 percent,” said Dr. Becker.
Not only that, pet also can help the recovery of patients who already had a heart attack. According to Becker, if someone had experienced a heart attack and owns a dog, his life expectancy is eight times higher.
