Dogs, often considered man’s best friends, can keep you happy and healthy. According to a recent report by Medical News Today, various studies show that keeping a dog as a pet may reduce the premature death of a person by one-third. The University of Harvard in Cambridge also points out that owning a dog may lower having heart disease.
Although it’s still difficult to ascertain a specific relationship between enjoying good health and owning a dog, researchers believe that it’s your care and the dog’s loyalty that creates a strong bond that boosts both your mental and physical wellbeing.
How can your dog improve your physical fitness?
Do you know that your dog can indirectly improve your physical fitness? When you keep a dog in your house, you need to adjust your lifestyle. One of the changes you must make is going for a walk with your dog. Even if you are a couch potato, you need to take your dog for a walk at least twice a day. The Journal of Physical Activity and Health recently published a paper that mentioned how walking with your dog benefits your pet and your body.
Forty-one thousand five hundred fourteen candidates from California participated in the experiment. Most of them had dogs and cats as pets, and a few didn’t have any pets at all. The ones with dogs lost more weight and saw an improvement in their overall health than those with no pets or cats as pets.
Another study published in the same paper said that if a dog is around in the house of a pregnant lady, the baby may have a lower risk of eczema in early childhood. The study also pointed out that babies that remain exposed to bacteria that dogs usually carry allow them to experience reduced symptoms of asthma.
How can dogs keep you mentally happy?
Apart from improving your physical health, a dog in your family can boost your mental health also. Dogs have a feel-good vibe that they instill in all the family members. You may have a hard day at work, but the way your dog greets you when you reach home may bring a smile to your face instantly.
According to experts from Pet Care Advice, the oxytocin level in your body goes up as soon as you see your dog. Oxytocin is the love hormone that shoots up when your dog runs in to greet you or wants you to cuddle it.
In his interview to The Washington Post, Brian Hare, a researcher at Duke University in Durham, said that dogs are now used as therapy animals as many studies show that they can reduce symptoms of depression. Various studies suggest that dogs can help people diagnosed with disruptive symptoms and PTSD. In addition, they may prevent your onset of PTSD episodes.
Don’t delay if you have plans to bring a dog home. Dogs are more than just pets; they are a bundle of joy that would make your life happier and healthier.
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