Benefits of Being in Nature

1) Vitamin D

This is perhaps the most obvious reason to get outside, since the sun supplies us with best source of Vitamin D.  Getting enough of this hormone (that’s right hormone, not a Vitamin) is essential to maintaining a healthy immune system.  Those who don’t get enough Vitamin D are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.  Getting enough sunlight has also been linked with the prevention of diabetes, auto immune disorders, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease.  As always, it’s better to get Vitamin D from natural sources- supplementing can be ineffective, and even unsafe.

2) Eye Health

Getting outside can improve your eye health.  Really this should count for two distinct reasons:

1. Preventing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), the term used to describe eye problems caused by staring at a screen close to your face for prolonged periods.  Do you work on a computer for a living?  Do you watch TV when you’re not working?  If so, you’re at risk of developing the symptoms associated with CVS: blurred vision, double vision, dry/red eyes, eye irritation, headaches, and neck or back pain.  Getting outside and focusing on objects not two feet from your face can help to prevent and even reverse these symptoms.
2. Artificial Light Provokes Nearsightedness.  New research is showing that our ever increased exposure to artificial light may be having a negative impact on nearsightedness.  A 2007 study found that, “among American children with two myopic parents, those who spent at least two hours per day outdoors were four times less likely to be nearsighted than those who spent less than one hour per day outside.”  Artificial light is problem, natural light is the solution.

3) Improved Sleep

Poor sleep is often caused by poor sleep patterns.  Our sleep patterns are regulated by an internal body clock called the circadian rhythm.  Our circadian rhythms are naturally tied to the sun’s schedule.  Spending too much time inside – away from natural light and with increased exposure to artificial light, can alter our circadian rhythms, (thus disrupting our sleep patterns).   Research has shown that “individuals who are blind from birth frequently have difficulty with their sleep-wake cycle because of the complete lack of environmental light cues.” Additionally,  “those who perform shift-work or travel frequently are also subject to having their natural circadian rhythms disrupted.” Early morning exposure to sunlight has been shown to help recalibrate these sleep cycles.  A few consecutive days outside (like backpacking the Appalachian Trail!) will get the job done much faster.

4) Clean Air

Someone telling you to get some “fresh air” is more than a subtle way of saying “go away”.   As it turns out, outdoor pollution is bad for your health, but indoor pollutants are far worse.  The EPA New England states that indoor pollutants are normally 2 to 5 (and up to 100) times higher than outdoor pollutants.  And according to the California Air Resources Board “indoor air-pollutants are 25-62% greater than outside levels and this difference poses a serious risk to health.” (source).  Such health risks include heart disease, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, and asthmatic attacks.

Bonus: A NASA study found 15 houseplants that improve indoor air quality, including Aloe, snake plant, golden pothos, and chrysanthemum.  Turning your home into a Rainforest Cafe is a worthwhile supplement to getting outside. 

5) Grounding

Perhaps still on the fringe of mainstream science is the practice referred to as grounding (or earthing), which results from bare skin contact on a natural surface (dirt, sand, etc.).  The theory states that because the earth is negatively charged- and has a greater negative charge than your body- we absorb earth’s electrons.  The rubber soles of our shoes prevent this absorption of electrons from occurring.  According to a study reported in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, grounding can have an intense anti-inflammatory and energising effect on the body.

Bonus: There’s an entire documentary dedicated to benefits of grounding (aptly named Grounded). 

6) Exercise

Let’s face it, it’s hard to get outside without exercising.  Even a light walk has immense health benefits, especially contrasted with sitting- which has been referred to as the smoking of our generation.  Sitting too much results in impaired fat burning capacity, decreased bone density, increased blood pressure, and a shortened life span.  Conversely, exercise can help prevent or improve heart disease, strokes, type II diabetes, obesity, back pain, osteoporosis, and a host of psychological disorders.  Exercising outdoors has benefits over the gym: people who run outside exert more energy than those on treadmills (and same for cyclists), people enjoy it more, and consequently, will do it for longer periods.

7) Psychological Health

Last but certainly not least (at least from the standpoint of a guy who wrote a book on psychological health) is the massively beneficial effects getting outside can have on our mental wellbeing.  Spending time in nature has been linked to improved attention spans (short and long term), boosts in serotonin (the feel good neurotransmitter) and shows increased activity in the parts of the brain responsible for empathy, emotional stability, and love (whereas urban environments do the same for fear and anxiety).