What Are The BENEFITS Of Spending Time In NATURE
Today we are learning the benefits of spending time in nature. An eye-opening post that will get you a different perspective about these topics.
In addition to the hectic environment and fast-paced lifestyle, human health is increasingly affected by the digital age, so it is not surprising that the human body today craves nature more than ever.
While you are probably already familiar with the fact that staying in nature has great physical and mental benefits for your health, the latest scientific research from the University of Exeter has revealed how much time it actually takes to achieve these effects.
The University of Exeter in the UK has published a scientific study that has shown that people who spend at least 120 minutes a week in nature are significantly healthier and mentally more stable than those who do not.
It has been found that just two hours a week in nature can make a big difference in your health, and if some research is confirmed in the future, 120 minutes in nature could replace five days of eating fruits and vegetables and 150 minutes of exercise.
Nearly 20,000 people took part in this study, and it was found that those who stayed in nature noticed positive shifts in their general condition compared to those who did not.
Below we bring you all the benefits of staying and relaxing in nature and how much it really affects our health.
Spending time in nature strengthens the immune system
In addition to being more exposed to clean air, staying in nature makes you stronger and more resistant to disease. But why is that so?
Plants emit a certain antibacterial and antifungal chemical called phytoncide. When you inhale this natural chemical, your body produces more natural killer cells. NK cells or natural killer cells are a type of white blood cell that kill cells infected with tumors and viruses.
By staying in nature in the fresh air, you increase the activity of these cells and help strengthen your immune system.
Nature helps the body
Nature not only affects the mind but can also help the body. This thesis was proved by scientists.
Roger S. Ulrich, director of the Center for Health Systems and Design at the University of Texas A&M, in a study that investigated how the ambiance and view in hospital rooms affect a patient’s recovery. He found that patients whose hospital windows face nature recover more easily than those whose rooms face the walls.
We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children | Native American proverb
Patients who could see nature got out of the hospital faster, had fewer complications, and required fewer pain medications than those who were forced to look at the wall.
Prevents heart diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in much of the world. According to data from 2012, as many as 17.5 million people in the world died from these diseases, and it is estimated that this number will increase to 23.6 million in 2030.
But there is a very simple way to prevent these black statistics. In addition to the other health benefits it provides, nature has proven to protect against cardiovascular complications.
A study published in 2011 in Japan proved that walking in nature lowers blood pressure, adrenaline, noradrenaline and calms the heartbeat.
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Nature increases microbial diversity
The balance of friendly and hostile flora allows your body to have good microbiological health. In translation, the more diverse the microbiome, the greater the balance in your body, and the longer you will be protected from various diseases.
One of the easiest ways to naturally increase your microbial diversity is to stay outdoors. In order for your body to function better, it needs the existence of different types of bacteria, and it is your stay in nature that provides exposure to all types of microbes that can benefit your microbiome.
Running away from nature means running away from your health
A stronger immune system, prevention of heart disease, and protection of your body are just some of the positive effects of nature on your health. Therefore, you can conclude that staying in nature does not harm you in any way, but is extremely important.
In order to continue to maintain health and raise awareness of friends and family about its importance, we suggest you use your free time wisely in a place where you will have the opportunity to take full advantage of nature and enjoy with your loved ones.
Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known | Carl Sagan
You get your dose of Vitamin D
It is known that the role of vitamin D in our life starts from birth, and continues through life, until the very end. During the first year of life, pediatricians recommend taking drops of vitamin D, which will be used until the first birthday.
However, we can say vitamin D “comes out of the sun”, because only exposure to the sun stimulates the production of vitamin D, which is one of the special reasons for going to nature, to a sunny place.
Since nature has its perfect order and harmony, the human body has the ability to endogenously synthesize this vitamin, and in order for endogenous synthesis to be sufficient, smart and healthy sun exposure is required without huge protective factors.
Staying in the sun reduces the risk of diabetes, autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, impaired immunity, and according to research at the University of Edinburgh, it is proven that the sun provides significant protection against heart disease and blood vessels.
Many sunscreens block the production of vitamin D, so we suggest that you use only natural sunscreens.
Protects your eyes
Our modern way of life has placed most of us in front of computers, which is why we are all victims and feel some of the following symptoms or even all: blurred vision, double vision, red and dry eyes, headache, neck, and back pain.
Research has shown that staying in nature is the most important thing in the prevention of the “Computer Vision” syndrome, which includes vision problems caused by prolonged looking at the screen.
So, the artificial light we are exposed to when looking at the screen of the device can cause myopia, for which staying in nature is also a cure.
Nature improves sleep
If you need quality sleep and if you want to help your body rest during sleep at night, one of the conditions is staying in nature.
Each person has their own internal clock, more precisely their biological rhythm to which our body is accustomed. That inner biological clock is connected with the sun and the rhythm of waking and sleeping.
A well-spent day brings happy sleep | Leonardo da Vinci
Therefore, if we spend too much time indoors, it will lead to disruption of the biological clock, and thus to sleep disorders. But exposure to the morning sun restores normal sleep cycles, and just a few hours spent in nature can help us get our sleep back to normal.
Improves concentration and memory
Nature has been shown to improve the ability to direct attention, which means focusing on certain stimuli to which we are exposed.
In addition to helping maintain attention, being in nature can also improve our concentration.
Concentration on the attention test improved after observing photographs of nature, regardless of weather conditions, according to a set of experiments from a study published in 2005 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
Also, just three years after that, research published in the journal Psychological Science showed that a 50- to 55-minute nature walk improved performance on a task that required recalling a sequence of numbers.
Other studies that have conducted this type of research on the influence of nature on concentration have concluded that observing nature can improve mental focus.
Extracts negative energy from your body
Recent research has shown that staying in nature renews our energy and brings us to a state of happiness and inner peace. Grounding in the figurative sense represents the contact of our feet with the ground which has an impact on our whole body and frees it from negative energy.
Dr. Gary Schwartz, a professor of psychology and medicine at the University of Arizona, stressed that “grounding” is as important as sunlight, air, water, and nutrients.
Negative words are powerful boomerangs so be careful what you say about people and yourself | Mary J. Blige
When we walk in nature, under our feet, it is not just the ground covered with grass or leaves. Under our feet is a source of natural energy that draws negative energy from our body. Like all other living beings on the planet, we humans are part of the electrical system of our planet, and the ground below us is more than something we just stand on and move on.
I think now you understand the benefits of spending time in nature. Don’t make an excuse. Make the call. Go out and have a great time.
The author of this post, Aleksandar Milojevik, is a forestry engineer and an outdoor enthusiast.
