Health Benefits Of Having A Dog In Your Life
Did you know? Apart from bringing fun and excitement into your life, having dogs can also provide you with a variety of health benefits. Being a man’s best friend, it comes as no surprise that dogs can greatly improve our moods and encourage positive thinking, amongst many other health benefits. Read on to find out more about the health benefits that having a dog brings about.
Cardiovascular Health
If you are someone with blood pressure on the higher end, you would be delighted to know that human interactions with dogs are linked to lower blood pressure. After all, when dog owners leash up their dogs and bring them for walks, they get more exercise as compared to someone who doesn’t own dogs and stays indoors for the most part.
Discourage Social Isolation
Humans are sociable creatures and need social interaction to stay mentally healthy. Having a dog helps you to connect with others, especially when you take them out for walks or when attending a pet event with your dog. Many times, when you bring your dog out for a walk, you will end up having conversations with other dog owners. A simple interaction such as someone commenting about your dog’s beautiful fur can greatly improve your mood.
Improving Your Mood
Speaking of which, studies have revealed that dogs can help to reduce tension, and interaction with them helps to improve our mood. Playing with dogs increases our dopamine level and releases serotonin, making us ‘feel good’ and improving our mood. As such, having a dog helps to improve our mental health as well as emotional stability. In some cases, having dogs can even help the conditions of those with mild to moderate depression.
Preventing Allergies
This point is something that many will be surprised about. After all, some people even choose to not get a dog due to having allergies. However, a study done in 2004 showed results that suggest that children that interact with dogs and cats in their home are less likely to develop allergies as compared to another child that has no dogs or cats in their home.
Increasing Exercise
Without having a companion, it can be extremely difficult to find the motivation to make a trip to the nearby park for a simple exercise or run. However, when you bring your pets out on walks to the nearby park, it makes it much easier for you to do simple exercises at the park since you are already at a convenient location to do so.
Playing a simple game of fetch with your dog also contributes to keeping you fit and healthy. After all, dogs are creatures that are almost always full of energy, essentially forcing you to be more active. Taking your dog out on walks also increases your exposure to the natural environment, which has been linked to a variety of health benefits thanks to the natural and fresh air you breathe in.