Table of Contents
Cats!
As you know, recently I had a scare with my health. Did you know that cats can help lower your blood pressure naturally as well as help improve your health and joints?
Purrs
I didn’t either but I did notice that when one of my cats would lay on my lap and purr, I felt much more relaxed and my blood pressure readings lowered. According to webmd, “We found that pet owners, on average, were better off than non-owners, especially when they have a higher-quality relationship with their pets,” says pet researcher Allen R. McConnell, PhD. He’s a professor of psychology at Miami University. ‘What [makes] a meaningful relationship varies from person to person.”(1)
Let’s go back to a cat’s purr. Have you ever thought about how comforting that sound is. It is almost hypnotic. Well, it has been associated with therapeutic healing. For people, this includes both muscles and bones! Studies have shown that frequencies in the 18-35 HZ range have a positive effect on joint mobility after an injury. Did you know that a cat’s purr has vibrations at a frequency of 20-140 HZ. If you put 2 and 2 together, you will see that this places the “purr” sound within the range of healing. Amazing! Don’t you think?
*Image Copied from https://www.intelligentliving.co/owning-cat-good/
Sleep
Sleep is important in order to maintain health. When we sleep, our bodies repair themselves. In today’s society, people tend to sleep less or just plain restlessly. How many times do you wake up at night? Or go to bed too late and do not get the recommended hours of sleep you need each night? Here is some good news for you cat lovers!
Several studies in the UK have found that people report sleeping better with a cat than with a human . “A recent study from the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine was able to confirm those findings: 41 percent of the people in that study indicated that they slept better because of their pet, while only 20 percent said that it led to disturbances”. Maybe tonight you can cuddle up to your cat.
Stress
Did someone say stress? Who isn’t stressed these days. Let’s face it… from work, to school, to covid, to finances… you name it there is stress everywhere. Enter your kitty! When your cat hangs around with you, your body is triggered to release calming chemicals in your body which lower your stress and anxiety levels. And when you pet them, your low-maintenance pet will usually make both you happy.
Maybe you don’t have a cat. There is an alternative. YouTube videos! Can you believe that? I found that there has been research done that found that watching cat videos on the internet increases your positive emotions while decreasing negative feelings. So see, there is a positive to watching YouTube videos (as long as it is the right videos!)
Blood Pressure
It only stands to reason that when you sleep better and your stress levels are lower, that your blood pressure will decrease. In addition to better quality of sleep, having your cat curl up in your lap or snuggle up to you at night is pure bliss Cats love to be petted. They show how much they love it by purring. All of this works together to lower your blood pressure.
There was a study done on stockbrokers with and without pets – let me interject that I can only imagine how stressful that job is! In the study, the brokers were prescribed a blood pressure medicine. Not only that but also half of the people in the were randomly selected to also get a dog or cat as a house pet.
According to the study, “[s]ix months later, Allen and her colleagues conducted tests in the participants’ homes to measure changes in blood pressure. They found that stress-induced blood pressure continued to rise in the brokers without pets.
The brokers who owned pets also had stress-related rises in blood pressure, but these rises were only half as high as those seen in the petless group. The pet-owning brokers had average systolic pressures (the first number in a blood pressure reading) that fell within the normal healthy range. Stress-related peaks in diastolic pressure (the second number in a reading) were also reduced.
Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that while the drug lisinopril helped lower resting blood pressures, pet ownership is better at helping to control stress-induced peaks in blood pressure.” (2)
My Cats, My Health
We have two cats. We have had cats for most of our adult lives. One cat we had lived for 21 years! They become part of your family. That cat brought so much joy to us and when he died, he took a piece of our heart with him. Nothing will replace him, but after a couple of years, we felt that we were ready to open our hearts and home to another cat. We have always supported adopting rescued animals so that is what we did this time. We adopted a rescued Maine Coon mixed cat. We let the kids do the honor of naming him. They named him Dusty.
He fit right in. He has always been such a loving cat. He loves to be near anyone in the family and will “ask” the kids to let him in their room just to hang out. He also curls up. in our bed with us and just purrs. I truly believe he senses when anyone in the family has had a particularly stressful day because he picks that family member to snuggle with more.
I know he has done this with me and I immediately feel my stress dissipate and my blood pressure to lower.
My other cat is not as social but he LOVES to purr. Any time you look at him, he starts to purr. That sound is just so relaxing. He likes to come and lay with you when it is quiet and everyone is settled in for the evening. He also loves to curl up in his cat bed by your feet and just be with you. We can reach down and pet him and that purr and just petting him takes your mind off of any stressful situation.
