How Can Pet Ownership Improve Your Health?

Owning a pet can be incredibly advantageous for those who are suffering from physical and mental health conditions, while also helping to prevent several other health issues, such as high blood pressure and heart attacks. Pet ownership can vastly improve your quality of life, and here are some of the top benefits that pet ownership can give you and your family.

Helps You to Develop a Routine

Pet ownership can help you to develop a healthy daily routine, including feeding, brushing, and walking your dog or cat. This can help many people that have been diagnosed with depression, whose typical symptoms include a lack of routine and an inability to stay motivated by helping them to believe that their pet needs them. Having a pet can typically improve any lack of motivation by encouraging you to get out of bed, complete daily chores, and leave the house for the benefit of the animal. If you are struggling to look after your animal, Greensburg Vets can help to educate you about the needs of your animal and can provide you with advice on how best to care for them.

Reduces Stress

55% of adults experience stress in a day. Although treatments such as meditation and yoga can also be successful, owning a pet can also help to reduce stress within your life. By simply playing with your pet, you could be releasing the hormone oxytocin, which is a natural stress reducer and can help you to limit the amount of stress that you experience after a long day at work. Not only this, but the constant presence of your pet could decrease the amount of cortisol in your body, which is one of the hormones that create the feeling of stress, while also increasing serotonin, which can improve your mood.

Encourages Exercise

If you are looking for a way to improve your physical health but are unmotivated to exercise regularly, owning a dog may help you. If you have ever owned a dog, you will know that it is near impossible to get away without taking them on a walk each day, and this can be a great motivator when you are struggling to exercise. Not only can they provide companionship during long walks, but you can even take them to big sponsored events. Many people also opt to take their pets cycling or even horse riding with them. Not only this, but animals can also improve your physical health by decreasing your blood pressure, lowering your heart rate, and improving your cholesterol through an increase in exercise and a lowering in the stress levels that you experience.

Helps Loneliness

46% of US adults are lonely, according to some studies, and pet ownership can help to prevent this. Not only can they provide companionship and a reduction in low moods, but they can also allow adults to attend events and clubs, which can lead to them meeting new people and interacting with others that have the same interests as their own.