Animals are great conversationalists after a hard day's work, and all they ask in return is some food and a place to sleep. The latest research shows that talking to a cat is the way to better health.
Danijel Forše, a psychologist and social worker, points out that talking to your pet will not only create and maintain a healthy connection between you and your cat, but will also have a positive impact on your mental health.
Forše found that just owning a pet helps reduce stress, fight depression, lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease.
She adds that, apart from the fact that they cannot answer, the bond between a man and his pet is the same as between two people. Talking to your pet like a close friend or family member contributes to mental and physical health.
One of the researches for the magazine "Newswise", which tested the behavior in stressful situations in a group of hypertensive shareholders, showed that with a dog or a cat lowers blood pressure better than ACE inhibitors, drugs that are normally used for high blood pressure.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bonding between people and their pets can have many benefits, including improved exercise, reduced stress, reduced feelings of loneliness and reduced blood pressure.
A study in Tokyo found that cats are more than capable of recognizing their owners' voices, they just often ignore them.
Twenty years of research has established the long-term benefits of spending time with cats - for the heart.
People who never owned a cat were exposed to a 40 percent higher risk of heart attack than cat owners. Another study concluded that dog owners have a higher chance of surviving a heart attack.
But cat owners have more reason to celebrate.
Just as cat owners are less likely to have a heart attack, they are also less likely to suffer a stroke. Scientists believe that cats calm their owners more than other types of animals. The character of cat owners also plays a big role - they often focus on their pets and they become the center of their interests, which is why they think less about problems.
Cats are also an ideal pet for people suffering from arthritis. "Arthritis Today" magazine advises copying your cat's stretching - watch how many times a day it stretches and try to join in.
Dog owners can boast of good health because they spend a lot of time outdoors. That's why it's easier to deal with stress, thus preserving the health of the heart.
Also, research shows that owners who regularly walk their dogs have a significantly lower body fat index and an 11 percent higher level of daily activity than those who do not have pets.
Children who are surrounded by four-legged friends from an early age have a lower risk of problems with allergies and excess weight. Canadian scientists from the University of Alberta studied more than 700 infants and their mothers from 2009 to 2014. Most families had a pet (of which 70 percent were dogs) during pregnancy and the first three months of the baby's life.
The scientists then took samples of the babies' stools and found double the amount of two types of beneficial bacteria. Uminococcus and Oscillospira help the human body digest complex carbohydrates and fiber. Their presence is associated with a lower likelihood of allergies, obesity, and several types of cancer.
Both types of pets will help you forget about stress.
Fish and parrots are calming
Dogs and cats aren't the only pets that heal. Both parrots and guinea pigs have a calming effect. With them, people breathe and speak more slowly, and accelerated thoughts take on a lighter rhythm. Even goldfish can have a positive effect on health and spiritual balance. This was proven by research conducted by the American Veterinary Faculty "Purdue" on Alzheimer's disease patients, reports Nezavisne.
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