Is there anything quite like coming home after a long day and being greeted by your furry friend who is losing their mind when they hear you open the front door? Pets can certainly inspire a lot of laughter with their zany zoomies and butt wiggling, but once the craziness has calmed down, you might find cuddling with your pet is good for both of you. And this just a few of the reasons why.
Cuddling With Your Pet Encourages You To Stay Active
It’s Saturday morning, and all you want to do is get an extra hour of sleep. That’s not going to happen, though, if your dog is desperately waiting for you to get some shoes on and go for a walk. But even if you begrudgingly take your beagle for a walk, there are some benefits for you, too. Researchers found that pet owners get in more exercise than their non-pet owner counterparts. So if you’re looking for a way to organically get your steps in, walking or even jogging with your Jack Russell can improve both of your wellbeing.
Cuddling With Your Pet Lowers Your Stress And Blood Pressure Levels
It sometimes doesn’t take a lot to spike up your stress levels. When you cuddle with your cat, though, you might find that your stress starts to subside — and there’s a reason why. “Simply petting your pet can lower the stress hormone cortisol,” explains Kim Balchios, founder of Mama Kims Animal Rescue, a platform dedicated to promoting animal welfare and supporting animal rescues worldwide. Not only does your stress decrease, but so does your blood pressure. In fact, a study showed that stroking your pet can significantly lower your blood pressure even more than speaking with your best friend or doing a mindful activity like reading.
Cuddling With Your Pet Can Help Increase Your Empathy
If you thought that your pet can feel when you’re sick or sad, you’re absolutely right. And those feelings of pure love and devotion that your dog displays can help you connect with your own emotions as well. “Part of the reason we connect so deeply with animals be their emotional depth,” says Dr. Lynette Hart, professor of Veterinary Population Health and Reproduction Director of the Center for Animals in Society at the UC-Davis College of Biomedical Sciences. “Studies show that many animals mourn, cry, and demonstrate other ranges of emotion. If you share your life with a pet, you know the love it feels for you is intense and enduring.” That unbreakable bond might foster even greater connections not just between you and your pet, but the humans in your life, too.
Cuddling With Your Pet Helps Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety is (sadly) often an everyday part of life. It’s almost unavoidable, but cuddling with your pet can be an antidote to those waves of anxiety. “Playing or snuggling with your pet can definitely reduce anxiety,” says Hart. “Colleges bring dogs to campuses right around exam times so that students that miss their pets or even those who do not have pets can take a break from their studies and play with the pets to boost their energy and happiness levels.”
Hart continues: “You would be surprised how grades can improve from something like this because it is a healthy alternative to staying focused and minimizing anxiety.” If your pet is also experiencing anxiety as a result of stress (such as the passing of another pet or a change in their routine), a cuddle can offer reassurance and the love that need.
Cuddling With Your Pet Releases Oxytocin
When your cat climbs onto your lap, it’s not necessarily looking for food (although it might be). Pets benefit from touch just as much as we do, and it can all be summed up in one word: oxytocin. This hormone is known for its ability to increase levels of happiness, and this often occurs when pet owners play or snuggle with their companions. And it doesn’t take much to feel that boost in happiness. Simply looking into your pet’s eyes can sometimes be enough to release oxytocin, Science.org reports. In fact, doing so can mimic the bond that a mother has towards her baby.
Cuddling With Your Pet Gives You That Need For Connection
Human beings have an instinctive need to physically connect with others. But having a bond with another person isn’t as simple as it might sound since it’s often tied to how we emotionally feel around them. But pets can be an excellent substitute for this primal need. “Cuddling and grooming your pet boosts your mood and fulfills the human need for touch,” explains Kim. And for both pets and people, that physical contact can translate into feelings of safety and security.
Cuddling with your pet just might be something you do without thinking every day, but when you keep in mind how much it can positively impact both of you (physical, emotionally, and mentally), it just might make those cuddles even more special.