Health Benefits Of Nature
Spending time in nature has been shown to have numerous health benefits and improve overall well-being. Humans have only recently started living in cities, so we still naturally feel the need to connect with nature.
Being in nature is good for us: it lets us escape, has interesting things that grab our attention without effort, and allows us to relax without worrying about our actions.
Nature offers a mental break from the demands of everyday life. Its positive effects on our well-being are strong and automatic.
10 Ways Nature Is Good For Your Health
1 Nature reduces stress and anxiousness
Studies show that spending time in nature, even for a short time, can reduce stress and anxiety by lowering stress hormones (cortisol), improving mood, and boosting energy.
It also helps you focus better and reduces feelings of anxiety and anger. Exercise has similar benefits, but doing it outside can be even more effective.
2 Nature improves mental health
Whether it’s a walk in the park or a weekend camping trip, spending time in nature is a great way to improve mental health. Research shows that being outside can help with depression and anxiety.
Nature boosts positive feelings and reduces negative ones. Regularly visiting green spaces is linked to lower depression risk and better concentration and attention.
3 Nature increases ability to focus
Nature can boost brain function. Spending time in nature can improve focus and memory, making it easier to concentrate and remember things. Being in nature also helps you perform tasks better.
4 Nature has positive effects on children
Being in nature helps children control their emotions and reduces symptoms of attention deficit disorders. Growing up with nature around and having easy access to it also lowers the risk of mental illness later in life.
5 Nature boosts immune system
A major health benefit is that being in nature strengthens the immune system. Exposure to helpful microbes in natural environments reduces the risk of autoimmune diseases and allergies.
6 Nature boosts physical activity
Nature encourages exercise, helping with fitness and weight management. Exercising outside often feels easier than indoors, making it simpler to reach your activity goals. Plus, it offers extra benefits like better mood improvement and mental recovery compared to indoor exercise.
7 Nature improves self-esteem
Research shows that spending time in nature can make you feel happier and boost your self-esteem. Exercising outside also helps you feel more capable.
8 Nature improves sleep quality
You might sleep better if you spend time outside regularly. This could be because being in nature reduces stress.
9 Nature boosts vitamin D levels
Spending time in nature can help boost your vitamin D levels, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system. Your skin makes vitamin D when you’re in the sun, so being outside helps you get more of it.
10 Nature helps prevent common diseases
Spending time in nature not only benefits mental health but also helps prevent common diseases like heart disease. Many of these diseases are linked to chronic stress and lack of physical activity. Chronic stress, in particular, is associated with an increased risk of conditions like depression and heart disease.
Being in nature has been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reducing the strain on our cardiovascular system. Recognising this, the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes increasing access to and use of natural environments as a key strategy to mitigate the public health impact of non-communicable diseases.
Research Evidence Of Nature’s Health Benefits
The positive impact of spending time in nature on health and well-being has been extensively studied in Finland and internationally. The research evidence regarding healthy adults is already relatively strong.
Research shows that spending time in forests is good for public health and preventing diseases. There is increasing debate about the use of forests in public health promotion.
Studies have been made in Finland on how spending time in nature boosts people’s well-being and health, how living in green areas helps, and how even short visits to nature can affect our minds and bodies.
A survey in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland, found that spending time in nature improved mood by increasing positive and reducing negative emotions.
What amount is enough for health benefits?
A significant effect was observed when nearby green areas were used at least two to three times a week (more than five hours a month) or when rural nature sites were visited two to three times a month.
Out-of-town nature improved mood more than urban green areas. Being in the forest or a park was much more refreshing than being in the busy city centre. Even just 15 minutes in nature had a positive effect.
Mental health benefits were observed when visiting green areas for at least half an hour two to three times a week or taking two to three longer trips to nature outside the city each month.
In a recent study in Helsinki, a short visit to urban nature areas four to five times a week was associated with a lower need for mood, asthma, or blood pressure medication. The health benefits of nature come from regular visits.
Water Strengthens The Benefits!
This is interesting for us archipelago lovers: positive health effects are enhanced when green space includes water!
This was noticed by Japanese researchers when they tested how specific elements of nature, such as wood or the sound of running water, influence the human stress response.
So, this is one more reason to spend time in the archipelago!
My Experience: I Sleep Better Outdoors
I have noticed nature’s effect on reducing stress and anxiety for a long time. The healing power of nature became extra important for me the year I was going through chemotherapy.
Being in the archipelago helped me in so many ways, most importantly, it helped me maintain my mental health. For me, nature draws the focus away from myself, instead, I focus on birds chirping, flowers blooming, water glistening and sun shining.
I noticed in recent years that I sleep much better outdoors. When I was ill, I had trouble sleeping, and nothing helped except nature. Setting up my hammock and sleeping outdoors made a huge difference – suddenly I could sleep!
I use a Garmin sports watch to monitor my sleep. It has a “body battery” function, which rates sleep between 5-100 based on sleep quality, daily activity, and stress levels.
We can be stressed even when we sleep, which affects our sleep quality. My body battery was always 100 in the mornings, before my sleep quality declined some years ago. During last winter, the number was around 75 each morning.
However, when I went camping in Jurmo in May and slept in a tent, my body battery was immediately back to 100! It stayed at 100 both mornings I woke up in my tent, showing that my sleep quality is better when I sleep outdoors.
When I returned to the city, it dropped back to 75, even though I slept for the same duration.
I’ve spent over 50 nights each summer sleeping in a hammock or tent. For 2024, I challenged myself to spend 100 consecutive nights sleeping outdoors.
I started on the 24th of May and finished on the 31st of August, which is the day of Finnish nature – a fitting day to complete the challenge!
References
Capaldi C.A., Passmore H-A., Nisbet E.k., Zelenski J.M., Dopko R.L. Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention. International Journal of Wellbeing, Vol. 5, No. 4, 2015.
Weir K. Nurtured by Nature. American Psychologiacal Association 2020.
Tyrväinen L. Luonnosta mielenterveyttä, kuntoa ja elämänlaatua. Duodecim Terveyskirjasto 28.3.2023. https://www.terveyskirjasto.fi/dlk01347
Tyrväinen L., Lanki T., Sipilä R., Komulainen J. Mitä tiedetään metsän terveyshyödyistä? Lääketieteellinen aikakauskirja Duodecim 2018; 134(13): 1397–403.
