The Health and Mood-Boosting Benefits of Pets - HelpGuide.org

One of the reasons for these therapeutic effects is that pets fulfill the basic human need for touch. Even hardened criminals in prison show long-term changes in their behavior after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time. Stroking, hugging, or otherwise touching a loving animal can rapidly calm and soothe you when you’re stressed or anxious. The companionship of a pet can also ease loneliness, and most dogs are a great stimulus for healthy exercise, which can substantially boost your mood and ease depression.

1. Pet owners are less likely to suffer from depression than those without pets.
2. People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets. One study even found that when people with borderline hypertension adopted dogs from a shelter, their blood pressure declined significantly within five months.
3. Playing with a pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
4. Pet owners have lower cholesterol level (risk for heart disease) than those without pets
5. Pet owners over age 65 make 30 percent fewer visits to their doctors than those without pets.

Adopting healthy lifestyle changes plays an important role in easing symptoms of depression , anxiety, stress, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.

Adding structure and routine to your day. Many pets, especially dogs, require a regular feeding and exercise schedule. Having a consistent routine keeps an animal balanced and calm—and it can work for you, too. No matter your mood—depressed, anxious, or stressed—one plaintive look from your pet and you’ll have to get out of bed to feed, exercise, and care for them.

A number of studies have linked owning a dog to losing weight as well.

• Research at the University of California at Davis concluded that Alzheimer’s patients suffer less stress and have fewer anxious outbursts if there is a dog or cat in the home.
• The playful interaction and gentle touch from a well-trained, docile animal can help soothe an Alzheimer’s patient and decrease aggressive behavior
• In many cases a patient’s problem behavior is a reaction to the stressed response of the primary caretaker. Pets can help ease the stress of caregivers. Cats or small pets may be more suitable than big ones.