Living close to nature and spending time outdoors could improve your physical and mental health. Exposure to natural environments reduces stress, fear, anger, blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and makes you feel happier.
As the Father of Western Medicine, Hippocrates, once said, “Nature itself is the best physician.
Below are the best benefits of spending time in nature.
1. Boost to your Life Satisfaction
A UK study has found that spending a few hours per week in nature gives a positive boost to health and wellbeing, both mentally and physically. It can be a woodland, park or a beach. The study draws upon interviews with around 20,000 people in England about their contact with nature in the past seven days. It found that among people who had spent little or no time in parks, beaches or woods, close to half reported low levels of life satisfaction and one in four said they were in poor health. Among people who had spent at least two hours in nature, only one in three said they felt dissatisfied, while just one in seven reported poor health. So, if you’ve been feeling blue, visit somewhere green!
2. Better Quality Sleep
Spending time in nature may improve the quality of sleep, a small study suggests. Increasing the amount of time a person spends outdoors helps to regulate body temperature, along with the circadian rhythm. So, spending time outside could lead to a better quality sleep for people of all ages, especially for men over the age of 65. Get outside, engage with nature and no more snooze buttons! reduces stress
3. Calorie Burn
Whatever it is you are doing outdoors, you will burn more calories than if you had stayed home. Your body works hard to balance CO2 levels and consume oxygen, both of which require more energy. As a result, spending time in natural environments leads to higher calorie burn.
4. Boost to Vitamin D Levels
Sunlight exposure, especially if you are short on time, is the best source of Vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a loss of bone density, which can contribute to some health implications, including osteoporosis and fractures, depression and cancer.
5. Lower Blood Pressure
Sunlight, lower your blood pressure! The nitric oxide present in the skin repsonds to the sun’s rays by widening bloss vessels, resulting in lower blodd pressure, according to researchers.
Click here to see our experienes in nature!
