Health Benefits of Crafting

Crafting has both mental and physical health benefits. Two crafts that have health benefits are knitting and crocheting. Research has shown that the repetitive actions needed in these crafts relaxes the mind and body. During crafting, brainwave patterns change to produce a higher Alpha-waves. This calming effect is similar to the effects of yoga, meditation and Tai Chi. This calm state combined with the intense focus required of reading patterns, diverts the brain’s attention from chronic pain, thereby producing a calm state.

Knitting and crocheting also enhance one’s ability to concentrate and retain information because it engages both hemispheres of the brain simultaneously. People who suffer from attention deficiency are said to be right brained, therefore knitting’s simultaneous engagement of both hemispheres of the brain improves their learning abilities.

Knitting helps people to cope with pain and stress, such as post-traumatic stress, stress associated with grief, work and chronic illness. When people learn new skills, the brain focuses on the task at hand thereby diverting one’s attention from the pain and stress that one is experiencing. It also serves as a perfect pastime for those recovering from illnesses such as cancer.

Knitting and crocheting helps to keep the fingers limb for patients suffering from arthritis and also wards off Alzheimer’s disease. Research, at the Harvard Medical School, has shown that knitting has therapeutic benefits. The research results indicate that when an individual is knitting, the heart rate and blood pressure drops. This is beneficial to those with anxiety, hypertension, heart disease and depression.