Quilting Really Does Help You Live Longer

I’m at that awkward age.

You know…you may be there, too.  It’s that point in time when the doctor says, “You’re in good shape for a woman your age,” (what does this even mean?)  and my kids still think it’s too early to look for a long-term care home. Yup.  That’s where I’m at – right between too young for most senior citizen discounts and too old for Clinque makeovers.  Old enough to know better, but still too young to care.

As we get older, we pay attention to a lot of things we didn’t when we were younger.  The way our knees creak when we stand up.  The way it takes us a little longer to roll out of bed in the morning.  We ponder the great remaining mysteries of life, such as “Why did I come into this room?  What was I looking for?”  And we tell ourselves epic lies, like “I’m gonna put this in a safe place so I’ll remember where it’s at.”  It is true  getting older isn’t for sissies, but I’m about to drop a great truth bomb on you backed up by science…

Quilting can help you stay young.

Yup.  It’s true.  And I have the science to prove it. 

• Doing activities you love (such as quilting) increases the levels of serotonin in your brain.  What is serotonin?  Chemically, serotonin is known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and is a monoamine neurotransmitter. It also acts as a hormone. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin carries messages between nerve cells in your brain (your central nervous system) and throughout your body (your peripheral nervous system). In our brains, serotonin acts similarly to dopamine – it’s a happiness hormone.  The higher the levels of serotonin we have, the less prone to depression we are.  Activities such as exercise help our bodies produce more serotonin, as well as some things we eat.  Foods which are high in tryptophan and fiber can increase the serotonin production in our bodies.  However, so can participating in activities we love, such as hobbies…such as quilting.  I think this is why after a particularly difficult day, even if I’m exhausted, if I can spend a few minutes in my quilt studio at one of my machines, or in front of the TV with handwork, I immediately feel better.    My serotonin levels have been raised and I can go on with the rest of my evening with a much better attitude and outlook.
• Quilting can also lower the levels of cortisol in your system.  You may have heard a doctor bandy the term cortisol around.  And if serotonin is the happiness hormone, cortisol is its exact opposite.  Cortisol is the stress hormone and it’s produced by two adrenal glands. These glands sit on top of your kidneys and react to stress.  When you’re under a lot of anxiety, the glands can produce too much cortisol, causing your body to go haywire.  You may experience fatigue, irritability, headaches, intestinal issues, anxiety, depression, weight gain, and increased blood pressure when your body has too much cortisol running around its systems.  Cortisol can be aggravated by some foods – such as processed meats, alcohol, high sugar food, and food with a lot of caffeine.  And while some cortisol is good for your body to have (it helps you manage stress), too much of it can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep or lose weight.  To maintain good cortisol levels, include fermented foods, dark chocolate, spinach, and avocados in your diet.  The correct levels can also be maintained by engaging in activities and being with people who bring your joy and reduce your stress levels.  So if quilting brings you joy, it will help keep your cortisone levels at a good balance.  If you quilt with friends, you’ll get a good, double whammy of cortisol maintenance. 

• Quilting can help lower your blood pressure.  Stress can raise your blood pressure.  Prolonged periods of stress can raise it and keep it there.  Taking part in creative and calming activities can help lower stress and decrease your blood pressure. Dr. Randy Cupps from South Denver Cardiology explains that when you spend time on a hobby or something you enjoy that isn’t about work, you give your mind a break. This shift to something fun and enjoyable is good for your well-being, “As a result, your blood pressure and hypertension lower.”  So, if you have a demanding job, or are in a stressful situation, a great way to disengage from that is to quilt.  It’s something you enjoy and can shift your brain out of the anxiety-lane into a more peaceful mindset. 

• Participating in an enjoyable hobby like quilting can release physical tension.  We all know when we’re under stress, we not only carry that tension in our minds, but also in our bodies – primarily between our shoulders and in our back.  When I taught school, my son always knew when I had a particularly stressful day.  I would be carrying my shoulders so tight they were almost even with my ears.  However, once I stepped into my studio, the tension would immediately ease out of my body.  Putting together a quilt can be exceedingly relaxing, almost like being in a trance.  Psychologists call this phenomenon “Flow.”  You forget your worries.  The hands-on work of quilting calms your nerves and helps your body relax.

• Quilting is a healthy addiction.  We quilters (and sometimes our significant others) joke about our fabric addiction and how we will drop a project like a hot potato to begin a brand-new, shiny one.  But it’s truly like I tell my friends, family, and dear husband, “There are worse things I could do with my life.”  And it’s true.  Having a fun activity that takes our minds off of stress and worry helps keep us mentally healthy and sane.  The goal is to find a positive distraction which helps you grow and feel fulfilled.  Quilting does all of that.  Plus, when you think about it, there are far worse addictions than quilting – fancy cars, boats, buying lots of lotto tickets….
• Quilting helps you maintain hand-to-eye coordination.  Making a quilt requires the ability to do small, exact movements repeatedly. The more quilts you make, the easier it gets. If you continue, it can help you keep your fine motor skills sharp as you get older.

• It also helps you maintain foot-to-eye coordination.  If you use the foot control which came with your sewing machine, you know your eyes have to tell your brain when to stop, and the brain has to pass that information along very quickly to your foot.  So there is proof that quilting could help you keep driving longer, as you’re constantly engaging the foot-to-eye coordination.

• Quilting can give you a sense of purpose.  As we grow older, this becomes more important than ever.   When we’re younger, we’re driven by starting and expanding our careers, building our families, pursuing educational goals, and participating in our community.  As we age, these things change.  Career goals have been met (for the most part) and many of us settle into retirement.  Children grow up and build their own families and your role as a parent changes. It can be easy to wonder what our next step is.  Quilting can help steer us in a direction.  There’s always something new to learn and mastering new skills can boost one’s self-esteem.  And at the end of a completed project, you have a tangible item you can enjoy or give away.  You may find giving away your quilts at this period in your life is even more enjoyable than it was earlier in your quilting journey.  Giving to others not only brings them happiness, it also brings the giver a sense of joy and purpose.

• Giving your quilts to others can reduce your feelings of hopelessness.  I think one of the worst things which came out of Covid and the lockdowns was the sense of isolation.  And this is a feeling which still seems to persist in many areas – such as those of us who are still working from home.  I’ve always thought isolation and loneliness were two of the biggest battles older folks have to fight.  Tied together, isolation and loneliness can lead to feelings of hopelessness – I don’t know what to do, I don’t know who needs me, I have no control over my situation.  Quilting, or more precisely quilting for others, shines the light on the dark shadows of hopelessness.  There are organizations which would love to receive your quilts, it just takes a bit of research on the internet or a phone call or two in order to find out the organizations regulations.  As a former US President told us, “The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Don’t wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, and you will fill yourself with hope.” Quilting is more than a hobby.  It’s a valuable way to spend your time.

• Quilting builds self-confidence.  With each completed quilt, with each new skill mastered, with each finished project, your self-confidence grows.  Personally, I’ve found it helpful to break projects into a series of small, reachable goals and set due dates with those goals.  With every goal met (big or small) your self-confidence not only grows, but you also have this huge feeling of accomplishment.  Positive Psychology reports, “Making progress towards personally meaningful goals is the scaffolding upon which healthy self-confidence is built.” 

• Quilting gives us a community.  I cannot stress how important it is for women to have a community.  This is more than family.  These are the people we choose to make part of our extended family.  In some instances, these folks are closer than family.  Quilters (like other crafters) have always had opportunities to build these friendships.  Our grandmothers and great-grandmothers may have had quilting bees.  We have guilds, quilt shows, and on-line groups.  The internet has opened doors to international friendships and instruction.  These things not only give us a sense of belonging, but they also offer support for each other and our craft.  One of the groups I quilt with has met since the early 2000’s.  We’ve seen each other through divorces, deaths, sickness, victories, promotions, gains, and losses.  These women are as close as any of my family.  These are the women who brought meals to my daughter when she was recovering from cancer surgery, who prayed for my brother while he was undergoing his stem cell transplant and surrounded me with love when I lost a cousin to Covid pneumonia.  The older we get, the more important this community becomes.  I think that as we age, we have gaps in our lives.  We lose spouses or significant others.  Our children need our presence less.  We retire from jobs we may or may not have loved.  These events leave gaping holes in our lives and the community we build with other quilters helps to fill this.  This also staves off feelings of hopelessness and loneliness. 

• Quilting can connect us with the outside world.  This is a bit more than building our own quilting community or even giving our quilts away.  Quilters can often find opportunities to share their love of their craft with groups and wider communities.  Scout troops frequently need quilters to help with projects so badges can be earned.  Museums and historical sites may need volunteers who know a bit about textiles to help out.  Use quilting as your springboard into a wider variety of friends and spread your quilting knowledge to the next generation. 

• Quilting can keep your mind young.  Learning new skills or working on a new quilt keeps your brain active.  Designing a pattern, or teaching the art helps keep the mind – all the mind – working.  Neuroscientists are now realizing the similarities between cognitive activities such as sudoku or crossword puzzles and designing or completing complex quilt patterns.  Even if you’ve been quilting for several years, there is always something new to explore if you want.  Sometimes it’s an easier way to sew curves or flying geese, or a totally new challenge like foundation paper piecing.  With all the virtual classes and on-demand courses, it’s easier than ever to learn something new, but attending an in-person class can be a great way to absorb those happy chemicals from sewing enthusiasts.  Psychologists believe that quilting utilizes the entire brain as it involves creativity, logic, spatial awareness, color analysis, fine motor skill activation, and math.  Intense concentration and focusing on your craft keep your brain active while distracting you from everyday pressures, thus reducing stress. 

Researchers also measured stress indicators in subjects while they performed stress-reducing activities, including reading, painting, playing cards, playing video games, and sewing.  Their results found the most relaxing activity to be sewing.  According to Robert Reiner, PhD, the study’s author, “The act of performing a craft is incompatible with worry, anger, obsession, and anxiety.”

Prescription for better health?  Quilting, of course.  Please do see your doctor along with making lots of wonderful quilts and take prescribed medications as directed.  Exercise and eat right.  But don’t forget to quilt…by yourself and with others.  It’s good for you!  Science says so.

Until Next Week, From My Studio to Yours,

Love and Stitches,

Sherri and Felix