Ah, fresh air! Natural light. So nice. Remember being completely awestruck at the sight of a vast landscape? The kind where your whole body relaxes, your mind is humbled, and you feel immensely grateful that you get to be alive and witness such vast beauty? Turns out these mental and physical effects have been observed and measured by scientists, proving that time in nature is good for our physical, emotional and social health. With Portland in the midst of a winter storm, and folks likely staying indoors more often now that the weather is chilly, we thought it was good time to share some recent findings about the value of getting outside.
Physical health
First off, we all know that our bodies can magically convert sunlight into vitamin D, and most of us know that vitamin D is crucial for healthy bones and a whole lot more. But too much sun exposure can lead to skin cancer, and it’s important to remember that Oregon has the sixth-highest incidence of melanoma in the country. With about 42% of Americans deficient in vitamin D, what are we to do? Experts advise us to always use sunscreen, and to get our vitamin D through the food we eat, adding supplements when necessary.
While we’re wise to heed the warnings about too much sunlight, experts also implore us to get outside for other important reasons. Surprisingly, the sun also helps the proper development of our eyes when we’re young, and helps us correct a tendency towards mostly focusing on objects that are close to us, which can lead to Computer Vision Syndrome. Being outdoors and looking more at objects that are further away uses different muscles, and promotes holistic eye health.
And then there’s sleep. You’ve heard that sleep is super important — but why is that, exactly? We’ve all felt the crush the day after an all-nighter. It just plain feels bad to be sleep-deprived. And science confirms that maintaining a 24-hour circadian cycle impacts our body temperature, pain sensitivity, mental alertness, physical strength, and and the proper functioning of our senses. Without enough sunshine on our faces, we tend to fall into a 25-hour cycle, which, as you can guess, will wreck havoc on your life. Once again we find that sunlight is intimately tied to our physical health. The rhythm of our bodies depends on a regular exposure to sunlight.
We also learned that sunlight, and time in nature, can help people recover from illness with less pain, and can provide a boost to our immune systems.
Lastly, research shows that exercise seems easier when we do it outside. That helps those who do their workouts outside get more benefit!
Emotional and social health
Lots of people will tell you they feel refreshed and grounded after a nature trip. But we were delighted to learn that spending time in nature has been linked to benefits for attention spans, serotonin levels (your brain’s joy juice) and emotional stability.
When it comes to nature and social well-being, beauty matters. Being more likely to notice natural beauty is corelated with prosocial behaviors like helping, sharing, and caring for others.
Finally, and maybe not so surprisingly, people who spend time in nature tend to make greener, more eco-conscious choices. The authors of this study say, "Our results suggest urban greening could help reduce the damaging behaviors which cause environmental problems in the first place.”
Come visit us at Parkside
While mother nature can benefit our health in so many ways, our bodies sometimes require expert care to treat injuries and chronic tension. Come see our expert team at Parkside Clinic where we tailor our care to your specific condition and tap into your body’s natural healing ability. We’d also love to share our favorite hiking trails and nature spots with you! Stop by Mt. Tabor park before or after your appointment to boost the benefit. Make an appointment, or if you have any questions, contact us.