What do cats and aquariums have in common?
You are feeling very sleepy……
Aquariums reduce stress and anxiety
Both cats and aquariums have been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in humans. That’s right, research concludes that aquariums have the ability to lower blood pressure, calm the nerves, and clear the mind. Aquariums create a soothing environment and are thought to have a hypnotic effect on humans.
Cat Parents are 40% Less Likely to Die from Heart Attacks
Did you know that humans that live with a cat are 40% less likely to die from heart attacks than those that trudge through their lives without a Cat? It is true! Dr. Adnan Qureshi, I call him Dr. Q, professor of neurosurgery and neurology at the University of Minnesota, extracted data from 4500 Americans aged 30 to 75 over a ten year study and found that we felines may have special health sustaining qualities.
If we assume that sharing your habitat with a Cat can bring about health benefits, the most logical reason could be that cats relieve stress and anxiety and thus reduce the risk of heart disease. Now here is where it gets even more interesting. Dr. Q’s next question is whether living with a cat directly reduces the risk of heart disease, or if people who live with cats have personality traits that protect against heart disease independent of sharing a habitat with a cat.
Dog owners did not benefit from the protection from heart disease, even though dog folks get exercise walking their dogs and jumping up and down to let them in and out to do their business. It seems that the one thing we felines do that no dog can or will ever do is purr.
Cats and Aquariums Both Reduce Stress and Anxiety
So, if you are looking to add some tranquility into your life, you might consider sharing your life with a feline or two and adding an aquarium to your habitat. And next time your travels take you through Atlanta, make sure you stop in and relax at the Georgia Aquarium. You might need less pain medicine to get through your meetings.
Got so relaxed we dozed off 🙂