February is in full swing and Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.
I feel like this month in particular, we show a little more affection. But, does it have to stop here?
Do you think that a hug a day could keep us healthy?
Our yearning to be touched starts when we are infants. The constant wanting to be held and cuddled is in our nature.
Babies that are not cuddled, played with, or hugged show developmental delays!
“When infants are held, skin-to-skin, by their mothers, have better cognitive skills, and more resilient to stress, and show more organized sleep, among other benefits even 10 years later.”
Strangely, this does not stop in humans. Even nonhuman primates are also born with the need to be touched. That’s why we love our beloved pets so much and they love us.
“As for hugs, perhaps the “Holy Grail” of touch, one study found that on-third of people receive no hugs on a daily basis while 75 percent said they wanted MORE hugs. “
So, I am thinking that since it is our nature that we WANT to be touched and hugged, if we don’t receive enough affection, we could probably be causing ourselves to get sick…
Depression
Anxiety
Which both drop our immune system immensely! This leads to:
Colds
Flu
Body Aches
Headaches
Constant Pain
“Among 404 adults, those who had greater social support and more frequent hugs during conflicts were less likely to catch a cold after they were exposed to the virus…
This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the deleterious effects of stress… The apparent protective effect of hugs may be attributable to the physical contact itself or to hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and intimacy… Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection.”
A hug does the heart good in my book. Most of the time I feel like I have run a mile or I have received a good massage. It’s almost like my body just NEEDS a hug.
Truth be told, I work in the medical field where everyone is constantly sanitizing their hands, covering their face with masks’, snapping gloves on and stepping 10 feet back when someone sneezes. I feel that most of us are afraid of human contact or are more apprehensive to go near one another.
Sadly, the people who work in the medical field are sick at least once a year or more and as strange as it may be, we are the ones who are trying to make you better; chew on that one.
“A 20-second hug along with 10 minutes of hand-holding also reduces the harmful physical effects of stress, including its impact on your blood pressure and heart rate… Makes sense, since hugging is known to lower the levels of stress hormones, like cortisol. “
Hug away you germ-a-phobes! It’s proven to be good for ya…
Not only can this help your work life but also your regular relationship life. Don’t let Valentine’s Day be the only day you and your lovey get in contact with each other.
I know life gets in the way; kids, school, work, after school programs, dinner, breakfast, making lunches, paying bills, and sneaking in sleep…. But people, simply a kiss, hug, or even a little handholding is going to be okay.
BE GONE COLD SYMPTOMS
“If you’ve ever needed an excuse for more hugging, let it be this: hugging increases levels of the “love hormone” oxytocin. This, in turn may be beneficial effect on your heart health and more. “
WooHOO, see I told you.
So go hug away my friends 🙂
Blogged by: Kevyn Morlock
