Your 'Cuddle Chemical'

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."   - Anatole France

The Mindful Attribute

If you are a pet lover like I am, and especially a dog lover, have you ever noticed how your pooch is so 'in-tune' with your mood? 

According to Dr. Ann Berger, a physician and researcher at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland; dogs are very present. "If someone is struggling with something, they know how to sit there and be loving.  Their attention is focused on the person all the time.”

Animals are 'mindful'. Being mindful includes attention, intention, compassion, and awareness. Animals bring all these attributes to the table. Where as people kind of have to learn it, animals do this innately

The Cuddle Chemical

If you already have pets in your life, you know about the joy and love they bring. But did you know these pets, your best friends, are also good for your health, both mentally and physically?

Science has a theory that pets boost our 'oxytocin' levels; also known as the 'cuddle chemical'. This is the same thing that happens when we are hugged by someone we feel close to.

This boost in oxytocin decreases blood pressure and heart rate, boosts immune function,  raises tolerance for pain and also lowers stress, anger and depression.

Impressive Ways Your Pet Can Make You Healthier, Happier and More Resilient

• Boost Heart Health - Studies show that dog owners have a lower risk of heart disease, including lower blood pressure and cholesterol. And, if you are a feline lover, a 10 year study found that cat owners were 40% less likely to suffer a heart attack and 30% less likely to die of other cardiovascular diseases.

• Dampen Depression and Boosts Mood - Pets have the ability to keep us engaged in daily life, through feeding them, walking them and giving them attention. Pets help keep loneliness and isolation at bay and make us smile. In other words, pets prove particularly potent in deterring depression and mood disorders.

• Pets Up Your Fitness Quotient - If you are a dog owner, likely you're fitter and trimmer than your non-walking friends. A study of over 2,000 adults found that regular dog walkers got more exercise and were less likely to be obese than those who didn't walk a dog. Another study found that dog walkers walked faster and longer than non dog walkers.

• Pets Dial Down Stress - Stress in your life causes your body to go into fight-or-flight mode which in turn releases hormones like cortisol to crank out more energy boosting blood sugar and epinephrine to get your heart and blood pumping. This is fine once and awhile when the need arises, but if you live in a constant state of stress due to work or life pressures, the physical changes take a toll on your body. Contact with pets can counteract this stress response by lowering the stress hormones and heart rate.

• Put the Kibosh on Pain - Chronic pain is a way of life for many people. Having a pet can sooth some of it away. In a study of patients with a pain disorder from fibromyalgia 34% reported pain relief and better mood and less fatigue after visiting for 10 - 15 minutes with a therapy dog compared to 4% of patients who just sat in a waiting room. Another study of patients having just had total joint replacement surgery, they needed 28% less pain medication after daily visits from a therapy dog than those who had no canine contact.

A Sweeter Journey

Pets provide companionship. Companionship can help prevent illness and even add years to your life, while isolation and loneliness can trigger symptoms of depression.

Caring for a live animal can help make you feel needed and wanted, and take the focus away from your problems, especially if you live alone. Most dog and cat owners talk to their pets, some even use them to work through their troubles.

And nothing beats loneliness like coming home to a wagging tail or purring cat.

The journey of life is definitely sweeter when traveled with a pet.

The journey of life is definitely sweeter when traveled with a pet.