The love-hate relationship will always be there when you have a sibling growing up.

You are the best friends for life at one point, and then you become the worst enemies at the other.

Either way, you’re stuck with each other.

We call each other names, but we often get into fights if someone calls our sibling names and defends them. We always have their backs when times get rough.

Surprisingly, siblings can actually improve health.

Having a sibling makes your immune system stronger.

A healthy sibling relationship increases our ability to push back viruses, even with no symptoms.

They help us destress.

Even if we don’t realize it at the time.

Stress hormones such as catecholamines and glucocorticoids have a negative impact on our health and immune system when we’re sick.

The higher the stress levels, the worse you feel.

Luckily, with the strong social bonds between us and our siblings or friends, we can somehow control our stress levels.

This bond helps us get back into good health and beat the illness much faster.

Hugging has a positive impact also.

This gesture prevents heart disease.

We can keep our blood pressure in check when we hug regularly. Especially to those who are close to us.

So when a problem comes in, and you’re worried about what’s going to happen, hug your sibling instead of taking medicines.

It regulates and lowers blood pressure.

Hugging can also decrease your heart rate as it soothes you with the comfort of your sibling’s arms.

Just 20 seconds of hugging can help us avoid heart attacks or pain. Hugging can also help us cope better with depression.

There’s an unspoken word that tells us everything’s going to be okay.

We often go to our parents for help when we stumble and life gives us challenges.

Siblings offer something our parents can’t.

We open up more to our siblings and often find possible solutions to our problems together with our siblings.

There’s an overall feeling that we are being cared for and attended to. Siblings have their own way to cheer us up.

Cortisol levels are reduced when we have someone to talk to.

Additionally, having a talkative and engaging sibling protects us from stress when we’re kids.

Having someone to talk to can save your life, one way or another.

The study makes it clear.

As the study shows, people with poor social connections are 50% more likely to die early than someone who is engaging.

This is most likely because the nearest and dearest to you encourages you to take care of yourself.

This becomes more evident when we fall ill, and our sibling makes us a snack or rubs us with ointment on our back.

They’re showing they care and they don’t want you to get hurt or sick.

So, the conclusion?

Our siblings give us comfort in such a way that it boosts our system. So be happy that you have one, or a few more.

They are always there when life gets rough. You are sure that someone is just a phone call away to have a small talk. Siblings are a blessing.

Learn more about how having a sibling is beneficial to our health in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Curious On Command, BYU