Being outdoors can trigger measurable changes inside your body from lowering stress hormones, easing blood pressure and even improving your gut health.
You don't have to hike for hours to feel these benefits as maximum impact happens after just 20 minutes, so even a lunchtime walk to the park and a sandwich on a bench a few times a week can benefit your body and mind.
Here are ways that being among nature can help improve your health.
You unconsciously relax
A stroll through a park or simply gazing at trees can trigger instant relaxation. The autonomic nervous system — which controls unconscious processes — responds to the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.
“We see changes in the body such as a lowering of blood pressure and heart rate variability so your heart beats slower,” says Baroness Kathy Willis, biodiversity professor at Oxford University.
A UK study of nearly 20,000 people found those who spent at least 120 minutes a week in greenery reported significantly better health and psychological well-being. The findings have led to “green social prescribing,” linking people with nature to improve mental and physical health.
Your hormones reboot
Spending time outdoors reduces cortisol and adrenaline, the body’s primary stress hormones. “A study found that people in a hotel room for three days breathing in Hinoki (Japanese cypress) oil saw a big drop in adrenaline and a big increase in natural killer cells,” says Willis.
These cells, which fight viruses, stayed elevated two weeks later. “Nature calms what needs calming and strengthens what needs strengthening,” says Prof Ming Kuo of the University of Illinois. “A three-day weekend in nature has a huge impact on our virus-fighting apparatus — even a month later it can be 24% above baseline.”
Scents and soil boost well-being
The smell of pine or soil can calm you in seconds. “The smell of a pine forest can make you calmer within just 20 seconds, and that effect lasts about 10 minutes,” says Willis. Even infants, with no scent associations, show relaxation when exposed to pine aroma.
Nature also nourishes the gut microbiome. Soil and plants contain beneficial bacteria and phytoncides, antimicrobial compounds that can help fight disease. “Nature is a positively challenging environment that tickles your immune system,” says Dr Chris van Tulleken, an infection scientist.
Can’t escape to the woods? Flowers, essential oils like lavender, or even a photo of a forest can reduce stress. As Prof Kuo notes, “Every bit seems to help.”
Source: BBC
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