When looking for ways to take time out and relax from the stresses and strains of busy work and home lives, some people like to go for a soothing massage, some prefer to take it out on the treadmill at the gym while others like to pop down to the pub. However, the solution could be a lot closer to home than you think, in fact, it could be in your home if you are a pet owner.

Many people love their pets and consider them family members, but pets can also help our health and ease stress, a phenomenon that has undergone many studies in recent years.

Stroking a pet or watching a fish swim in an aquarium can help people to relax, can reduce heart rate and lower blood pressure. Pets can provide companionship, and lessen feelings of isolation or loneliness, perhaps because the act of looking after a pet gives a sense of purpose.

According to a study released in 2000, pets lower blood pressure just by being present. Researchers led by Dr. Karen Allen, at the State University of New York at Buffalo, investigated the health benefits of pets on a group of 48 male and female New York stockbrokers, who all lived alone, had highly stressful jobs and who were already using medication to control high blood pressure.

Half of the subjects were randomly selected to adopt a dog or cat at the beginning of the study and were found to have lower blood pressure readings in stressful situations than their pet-less counterparts did. The results were so striking that participants who did not have pets even decided to acquire one after the study. Dr Allen asserted that while medication can lower blood pressure, it cannot relieve the stress which can force blood pressure back up again, but pets can.

Walking dogs can keep us healthy not only because of all the extra exercise we get from doing it, but owners feel less afraid of being a victim of crime when walking with a dog or sharing a residence with a one.

There can also be beneficial psychological effects as well as physical. The Humane Society of Canada (HSC) says that animal companions can play an important role for those living with HIV and AIDS as pets can reduce the likelihood of people with AIDS from suffering from depression. It cites a study by researchers at the UCLA School of Public Health who found that men with AIDS who had attachments with their pets were less likely to suffer from depression when compared to men with AIDS and who did not have a pet.

So, you never know, perhaps tonight a little quality time with your furry or fishy friend might do you both the world of good!