Cuddling for health

Does anyone feel that after cuddling they recieve any health benefits such as stress relief of extra energy? Just curious. Cuddling seems to give me both. I wonder about panic disorder and cuddling also. I don’t have GAD or panic attacks on the reg but I wonder if it helps with that also.

Sheena123

I’ve always felt relaxed and happier after a cuddle which is why we all do it. But I’ve had some cuddlers that said that happiness lasted for weeks ☺️ Some have said it gives them this added courage to socialize afterwards.

alphares

I get to sleep better after cuddling. I have panic attacks due to work related stress. So it helps. I always have this pounding in my chest.

alphares

what is GAD?

yoda96

@alphares s Generalized Anxiety Disorder

littermate

@alphares you might consider Somatic Experiencing. It's a modality that works with the body to resolve these kinds of things and to teach it to find ways to soothe.

Cuddlestogo64

Cuddling makes me feel more relaxed. I also noticed that I sleep more soundly.

geoff1000

I might be mistaken, but is a cuddling event beneficial, in part at least,because it makes future cuddling seem more likely ? In other words, the benefit lasts much longer than the event, because one can easily contemplate the next one ?

littermate

Only if you're not like, living in the moment, dude. I prefer to savor the fullness of the freshly cuddled than watch visions of future gingerbread dance in my head.

Cuddling does give me the relaxation and calm I need to function. It's not just the act that does that for me. It's the whole experience: conversations, messages, public meet ups, forum discussions and so on. Where ever my mind meets another in thought and a connection is made on one level or another. I do get an oxytocin, serotonin, dopamine rush or OSD fix. Even if I never ever cuddle with the person physically.
And the relaxed, soothing, calming feeling keeps me centered and grounded for days. Because I also meditate on the experience. And incorporate it in my routine in how I approach and appreciate my day.

herby357

Cuddling is absolutely therapeutic. It's a form of both mental and physical therapy for me.

NtleLLX

As a caregiver spouse to a very disabled partner, I found this site two years into my present caregiving journey. During my first cuddling experience, I was surprised and somewhat embarrassed at the sounds associated with my exhalations. It seemed they were coming from a very deep place within me, one of which I had not been consciously aware.

I sought counseling for my situation and was relieved when the intake counselor referred me on the basis of "caregiver stress".

I am committed to my caregiving role, yet I know that I also need to take care of myself and after being in this community for almost one year, I am certain that cuddling helps me to replenish my energy and prevent caregiver burnout.

It was not easy for me to disclose my discovered need for cuddling to my wife, but with the help of my therapist, I finally did.

This journey continues, and I am very grateful for most -- almost all --of my experiences here.

For me, cuddling for health is very real.

geoff1000

@NtleLLX
"I also need to take care of myself"
Sound advice.
When I was having a bad time of things, and didn't really enjoy food any more, I remembered that no-one really enjoys filling up their car with fuel, but we have to.
When doing a difficult job, the breaks are part of the job ; and while truck drivers and pilots have legal limits on the hours they can work, the rest of us have to be our own measure of what we can manage. Most of these situations are long-term, and we have to pace ourselves.
There is also the "boiling frog" problem, when the hours of paid or unpaid work gradually creep up, and we get accustomed to them. I got to about 80-85 a week before I decided I should ease off, though I guess caring for a family member is 100+.

herby357

Nite - I also had a long-standing caregiver situation. Fortunately, it’s in my rear view now and cuddling has helped me find a “new normal” after such a physical and emotionally draining experience. I’m nearing a point to where I’m understanding what I want and need to finally turn the page on that chapter of my life. Know you not alone. Caregiving was the most challenging thing I’ve ever endured.

pmvines

This is not going to be a popular statement , but no, I don't believe there are any legit long term health benefits from cuddling . There are some short term and temporary benefits , even if some of might border on placebo. If you have a chronic or mid to major medical condition , it will not help it improve . If you have a mental illness or mood disorder , it will not change your brain wiring . It will make you feel good , and it will make you feel calm , relaxed , happy , etc , especially if this is something that is missing from your life . Like an incredibly thirsty person after a drink of water . But no , in don't believe there are major health benefits from it . Still an amazing thing to do though so cuddle as often and for as long as you are able !

TheFunCartel

@pmvines I agree with you 100%

geoff1000

Palliative care, is also not a cure for an illness.

TheFunCartel

@geoff1000 Palliative care has never claimed to be a cure. Palliative care is often done in tandem with curative treatment. But the medical community does not hold it up as a cure.

geoff1000

@FunCartel
That's my point. It can't cure, just as cuddling can't ; but anything which can relieve the symptoms, is worth having. An illness is defined by its symptoms.

pmvines

Perhaps I should clarify my statement. No it cannot make you well when you are sick . It cannot cure anything . Yes it can have certain effects on you that are typically short term , and can help to relieve certain symptoms of mental distress and sometimes physical distress . However this does impact you overall long term health in any real significant way . Mental health can be improved but it is already well known that people who have love in their lives , affection , acceptance , etc are generally statistically more emotionally secure and balanced. Will not however curb mental illness or disorders . Of course it is still worth it to cuddle as often as you can regardless , def no reason to not .

TheFunCartel

@pmvines I got it the first time. Still agree 100 👍👍

pmvines

@FunCartel thank you . I don't mean to sound like cuddling is not beneficial to people's happiness or lives . Sure there are some benefits, albeit your experience may vary and it might be fleeting. I am reacting more so I suppose to those who would like you to believe that cuddling has some sort of magical healing powers . Some of the claims I hear range from the absurd to the dangerous . Cuddling is great but don't make it into something it's not .

dharma1257

Great thread, thank you for asking and starting it. pmvines, thank you especially for sharing here. I found what you said very helpful, to dispel some of the myths around cuddling.

I would like to ask a few more questions from those who have experienced cuddling sessions, i still have not.

Does cuddling help one open ones heart to love? Do you feel more love or bliss during or after a session?

Does cuddling make you happier? How long does it last, this feeling of happiness? A day, a week, longer?

What is the difference between getting a relaxing massage from a massage therapist and a cuddling session? For the body i am talking about mostly here. The body loves touch and caressing and massage, being held, etc. Massage is therapeutic most people would agree on, so what about cuddling, and what is the difference between the two?

I have seen a lot of references to cuddling helps one relax, relaxation, sleep better, etc after a session. Is one really relaxed and peaceful in a session too? It lasts after a session, for how long usually?

Does the body become addicted to cuddling, wanting it more and more ? Cuddling can become a addiction like any other addiction, right? It is a fine line between pleasure of cuddling and its health benefits and the danger of addiction to it?

littermate

I already have an open heart, but what I'm finding is that cuddling is taking down some kind of subtle wall I didn't even know was there. I'm walking around feeling like the world is my snuggle oyster. I'm touching people more and particularly feeling very physically connected to men (I've only snuggled men so far). I also have a regular cuddle partner (if 3 cuddles and talk of more counts as regular) and we're very well suited so I walk around with a smile on my face from the cuddle sweetness that we're sharing. I already feel a lot of love toward my fellow humans but this cuddle thing is letting it flow through and out of me in a super physical way, and I feel actually shifted by it. Today I hugged my Uber driver after he dropped me at the airport.

cuddlerforu24

Cuddling is a very sedentary activity . From selecting a partner , to the actual cuddling itself . There’s hours sitting at your computer , going through messages , then you meet up and lay down . Then ,... there s the munchie food ,... chocolate is popular . Depending on your age and or metabolism, cuddlers should consider going to the gym , to work off some of that cuddling fat.

littermate

I'm trying to build some cuddling fat!

cuddlerforu24

@littermate .. yes , you’re nothing but skin and bones!

JacobCarl

I know for me it helped for a while afterwards. Even after a year and a half since I had my last cuddle session when I drive by the bench where we cuddled it makes me feel good.

geoff1000

@littermate
Someone who cuddled a size 0 supermodel, said it was, "Like going to bed with a bicycle".
That's good advice for anyone feeling lonely.

@cuddlerforu24 I am skin and bones, but that isn't my fault. I can eat a lot and not gain weight at all.

Totally beleive in cuddling for health. Endorphines are healthy for you and some say your mood and outlook effects your health. In the same way that a spouse will pass away soon after they loses the love of his/her life, or that people who have dogs live longer.