How Are Hugs Beneficial For Your Health

1. LOS GATOS, CA | CAMPBELL, CA | SARATOGA, CA

2. How Are Hugs Beneficial For Your Health?

3. Introduction Hugging is not just a fantastic way of strengthening bonds with your loved ones—it is also great for your health. Science has proven that cuddling up to your pet offers similar benefits to cuddling up to your favorite people. So, grab a loved one and explore the science behind hugs and the amazing things they can do for your health.

4. The Science Behind Hugging Your Way To Good Health The reason hugs feel so satisfying is that it plays with our sense of touch. Touch comprises of two systems: Fast-touch involves a system of nerves that helps us to detect instantly any kind of contact, such as a tap on our shoulder or a mosquito on our face. Slow-touch involves the recently discovered nerves, called c-tactile afferents, that go beyond the detection of the physical touch and processes powerful emotional signals.

5. The Benefits of Hugging • Hugs Can Improve Your Mental Health Hugging is not just a pleasurable activity, it can also have a positive effect on your mental health. It can help reduce stress, improve your mood, and build resilience naturally. Hugs can make people feel happier, reduce their feelings of loneliness, and combat stress better with the release of feel-good hormones.

6. The Benefits of Hugging 2. Hugs Are Good For Your Heart Hugging can be beneficial for your heart health, as it can slow down your heart rate and reduce stress hormones like cortisol. Studies have found that frequent hugs can even protect people from increased susceptibility to illnesses caused by stress.

7. The Benefits of Hugging 3. Hugs Can Help Lower Your Blood Pressure Hugging can be beneficial for your blood pressure. Research shows that when you hug, touch, or sit close to someone you love, your body releases oxytocin. Oxytocin has a strong effect on women and reduces blood pressure and norepinephrine, which acts as a stress hormone and neurotransmitter.

8. The Benefits of Hugging 4. Hugs Can Help Boost Your Immune System Hugs can give your immune system a healthy boost. When you hug, your body releases oxytocin, which can help fight off infections and reduce inflammation. And even if the people who hugged caught a cold, they had less severe symptoms than the non-huggers.

9. The Benefits of Hugging 5. Hugs Can Aid Sleep From hugging your newborn to sleep to cuddling your partner, gentle hugs can promote sleep, as it lowers cortisol, the key regulator of our sleep-wake cycle. Reduced cortisol levels also mean lesser stress, which can help you sleep better. High-stress levels are associated with delayed, fragmented sleep patterns and insomnia.

10. Hugging: How To Do It Right? The longer you hug, the better for your health. Science says no less than 20 seconds for the feel-good hormones to release and do their trick. There’s no doubt that hugging is a fantastic non-verbal way of connecting with others. But it’s important to make sure that you have the other person’s consent before hugging them. Not everyone’s comfortable hugging or with any kind of physical contact and that should be respected. More importantly, you don’t want your hugs to feel like a chore. So, be present at the moment and enjoy it while it lasts.

11. CONCLUSION Hugging can be beneficial for your health. Hugging can not only help strengthen your relationships with loved ones but also improve your heart health, and immune system, and reduce stress levels and blood pressure. The next time you meet your loved ones, don’t forget to give them a long, big hug. Please contact us at Los Gatos Doc for any Lifestyle and Stress Management treatment in Campbell CA.

12. OUR KEY PHILOSOPHY “ ” What I try and do with every patient I see, in the first few minutes, is just let them say what’s on their mind and there’s a lot of study that show we don’t do that enough in medicine. These are small things that you can’t pick up really from just filling out a form. That’s why it’s really important to spend time, talking and listening and building that relationship. ~ Dr. Arun Villivalam, M.D.

13. SERVICES WE PROVIDE 01 05 Physicals – All Ages Blood Work A regular physical provides a record of your overall health and can be a useful tool in identifying any changes in your health.  Blood work is an important resource to help determine any conditions that could be causing the symptoms that are bringing a patient to the doctor, 02 06 Lifestyle / Stress Management Chronic Care Management Learn to manage stress by scheduling a wellness checkup and learn preventive strategies. Get medical care for preexisting or long term illnesses, such as asthma, hypertension, depression and cirrhosis.  03 07 Wellness Visits / School Physicals Women’s Health Best primary care physician in Los Gatos provides Womens Health screening from our practice in Los Gatos, CA A regular check up provides the opportunity to monitor your child’s growth and development and to safeguard against any potential issues.  04 08 Men’s Health Medicare Annual Wellness Visits Men’s health screenings will catch any conditions in early stages where preventative medicine can be used to treat or manage a condition before it progresses. Medicare encourages its members to review their health annually, and to take care of any potential medical concerns before they develop into something more serious. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque enim nisl, vulputate quis mi sed, dapibus hendrerit turpis. Praesent at volutpat neque, ut rutrum odio. Sed quis tincidunt dui, in vulputate arcu.

14. MEET DR. ARUN VILLIVALAM Dr. Arun Villivalam is a concerned and caring family physician and primary care doctor serving the community of Los Gatos, CA. Dr. Villivalam attended Thomas Jefferson University, where he received his medical degree, and completed his residency in family medicine at Cook County Hospital.