With plenty of sunshine, warm weather and long daylight, summer is a great time to go outside and enjoy what mother nature has to offer.
You may have heard of nature therapy or ecotherapy, i.e. spending quality time out in the nature can improve our health and wellbeing.
Ecotherapy originally stems from the field of psychology, where it was found that spending time and establish a balanced relationship with nature could improve our psyche and mental health.
Emerging research further showed the benefits of routine exposure to nature not just to our mental health but also physical health.
Let’s check out here on what research has shown.
Benefits of Nature At a Glance – Mental Health
Studies showed that exposure to nature affects our hormones and neurotransmitters, which in turn influences our perception of stress and our mental state.
Exposure to scenes of nature (even just photos) was found to increase serotonin levels (the “happy hormone”), and increase brain activity corresponding to dopamine receptors (related pleasure and satisfaction).1,2
The positive mental states fostered by scenes of nature include increased feelings of friendliness, affection, joy and playfulness, and reduced feelings of aggression and anger.1
On the contrary, scenes of urban settings were found to increase feelings of sadness, aggression and anger. 1
A two-hour walk in the forest was shown to improve sleep quality.2
Outdoor activities to experience and immerse in nature and wilderness have been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and the risk of mental illness. It was also shown to be an effective therapeutic media for patients coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), adolescents with behavioral problems, addiction, and other mental health conditions.1
Increased green outdoor activities helped to reduce symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children, was found to be more effective than activities in other settings.1
Horticultural therapy (HT), a therapeutic approach through gardening activities, exposure to plants and closeness to nature, was found to be beneficial for dementia patients in terms of improved mood, sleep, cognition, and engagement.1
Benefits of Nature At a Glance – Physical Health
Medical Recovery
Surgery recovery time was reduced by half when patients were exposed to views of nature (trees) instead of urban scenes (walls, concrete).1
Having flowers and plants in hospital rooms also helped to improve post-operation recovery.1
Pain Management
Exposure to images of nature and sunlight can also influence the perception of pain. Such exposure has helped patients to increase pain tolerance and thus reduced dosage of pain medication.1
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Anxiety and stress are risk factors of heart disease. Horticultural therapy (HT), a therapeutic approach through gardening activities, exposure to plants and closeness to nature, was found to improve mood state, reduce stress and thus reducing the risk and progression of heart disease.1
Leisure walk in a forested area was shown to reduce resting heart rate and blood pressure.3,4,7
Obesity
Obesity is a major risk factor to many health conditions including heart disease, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, hormonal imbalance and some types of cancers.
In addition, childhood obesity increases the risk of adult obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood.
Spending time outdoor in nature tends to increase the physical activity level and reduce the risk of obesity. Studies showed that accessibility to nature reduces physical inactivity and the risk of obesity.5
Immune Function
Spending time in the nature can also boost immune function. Studies showed that immersion in forest environment (known as forest bathing in Japan, a therapeutic visit to a forest environment for the purpose of relaxation and recreation) increased the number natural killer cells (NK cells, a type of immune cells) and activity, and increased the expression of intracellular anti-cancer proteins.4,6,7
Regulation of Cortisol – the Stress Hormone
Stress and dysregulation of cortisol have a widespread effect on our physical health, and are contributing factors to many chronic health conditions including heart disease, suppressed immune function, digestive problems, hormonal imbalance, type 2 diabetes, bone loss, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, etc. (See more details in my article Why Stress is the Culprit).
Exposure to nature helps to regulate cortisol levels. Viewing forest landscape and leisure walk in a forested area was shown to reduce cortisol levels by 13.4% and 15.8% respectively.4,7
Vitamin D
Spending time outdoor in the nature also increases our exposure to natural sunlight. Sunlight, in particular UVB, promotes the synthesis of vitamin D3 in our skin.
Vitamin D plays a significant role to many metabolic processes in our body. Studies showed the benefits of vitamin D in promoting bone health, immune health, and reducing the risks of certain types of cancers and chronic diseases (including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, certain autoimmune diseases).8–12
Related Articles
References
- Summers J, Vivian D. Ecotherapy – A Forgotten Ecosystem Service: A Review. Front Psychol. 2018;9. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01389
- Selhub E, Logan A. Your Brain On Nature. Toronto: HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd.; 2014.
- Ideno Y, Hayashi K, Abe Y et al. Blood pressure-lowering effect of Shinrin-yoku (Forest bathing): a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1). doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1912-z
- Park BJ, Tsunetsugu Y, Kasetani T, Kagawa T, Miyazaki Y. The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environ Health Prev Med. 2010;15(1):18–26. doi:10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
- Neslen, A. (2017). Access to Nature Reduces Depression and Obesity, Finds European Study. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/ mar/21/access-nature-reduces-depression-obesity-european-report
- Li Q, Morimoto K, Kobayashi M et al. Visiting a Forest, but Not a City, Increases Human Natural Killer Activity and Expression of Anti-Cancer Proteins. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol. 2008;21(1):117-127. doi:10.1177/039463200802100113
- Hansen MM, Jones R, Tocchini K. Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8):851. Published 2017 Jul 28. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080851
- National Institute of Health. Vitamin D – Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/#h7. Published 2019.
- Chowdhury R, Kunutsor S, Vitezova A et al. Vitamin D and risk of cause specific death: systematic review and meta-analysis of observational cohort and randomised intervention studies. BMJ. 2014;348(apr01 2):g1903-g1903. doi:10.1136/bmj.g1903
- Suaini NH, Zhang Y, Vuillermin PJ, Allen KJ, Harrison LC. Immune Modulation by Vitamin D and Its Relevance to Food Allergy. Nutrients. 2015;7(8):6088–6108. Published 2015 Jul 27. doi:10.3390/nu7085271
- Liontiris MI, Mazokopakis EE. A concise review of Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and the importance of iodine, selenium, vitamin D and gluten on the autoimmunity and dietary management of HT patients. Points that need more investigation. Hell J Nucl Med. 2017; 20(1):51-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1967/s002449910507
- Rosen Y, Daich J, Soliman I, Brathwaite E, Shoenfeld Y. Vitamin D and autoimmunity. Scand J Rheumatol. 2016;45(6):439-447. doi: 10.3109/03009742.2016.1151072.