What are the benefits of spending time outdoors?

Spending time in nature brings a sense of calm to the body and mind. From lowering your heart rate to helping you think more clearly, spending time outdoors can have lasting benefits on our health and wellbeing. A 2019 University of Exeter study found that people spending just two hours a week in green spaces were more likely to report better health and well-being than those who don’t. Lowering stress levels is another huge benefit of spending time in nature. Whether you opt for a jaunt to your local park, woods, garden centre, or beach, it seems that any amount of time spent in the natural environment can help make you healthier and happier. A series of studies from Japan looking at ‘forest bathing’ also found that spending time in nature can boost your immune system. In addition to helping us stay healthy, getting out in nature can also help improve your mood.

Dark skies help set our biological clocks. Dark skies at night are conducive to the natural functioning of our body’s biological clock which is set by the nocturnal release of the hormone melatonin. The outdoors is a rich environment for young children to immerse themselves in. Whether they are climbing trees or threading a daisy chain, playing outdoors emphasises experience above technology. It boasts children’s fitness, development, confidence and fuels their imaginations.

Research continues to show that being outside and experiencing nature can improve our mental health and increase our ability to focus. Nature can help us improve our thinking, reasoning, and other mental abilities. Studies have shown that our minds and bodies relax in a natural setting. This increases feelings of pleasure and can help us concentrate and focus more effectively, according to studies in the National Library of Medicine. Being outdoors can also have relaxing effects on our minds. Nature can provide a mental break by allowing us to temporarily escape the demands of everyday life. It can also boost your creativity and problem-solving abilities. Getting out into nature can lead us to want to walk, bike, hike, or kayak more often. People typically engage in regular physical activity when they're in nature. So, stepping outside can help you keep a healthy weight or even lose weight by increasing activity levels. Studies also show that being in nature has a positive effect on our bodies by reducing cortisol levels, muscle tension, and demands on our cardiovascular systems. Being out in nature often may lead to lower rates of heart disease. The great outdoors can also help you increase your vitamin D level, which is important for your bones, blood cells, and immune system. Nature can help decrease your anxiety levels and can help lessen stress and feelings of anger. Regular access to green spaces has been linked to lower risks of depression and improved concentration and attention. Being outside allows us to be social and come together with family, friends, or even people you don't know while on a hiking trail, for example. Additionally, you may find that you sleep better when you are regularly outside. Daily exposure to natural light helps regulate sleep/wake cycles. By making sure that you get outside in sunlight every day, you can improve your ability to sleep at night. People who live near parks and green space have less mental distress, are more physically active, and have longer life spans. Exposure to nature may decrease death from chronic disease. When people exercise outdoors in nature, they do so for longer periods of time and at greater intensities.

Spending time outdoors in green spaces has been linked with myriad physical and mental health benefits, including lower mortality. Exposure to green space has been linked to better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic disease—likely because people who spend more time in green spaces also report higher levels of exercise. Green spaces can be destinations for walking or bicycling, as well as space for play, and among children, green-space exposure is linked to more playtime and less screen time. Spending time in nature has been linked to better mental health and a decreased risk of psychiatric disorders among adults and children. Time spent outdoors provides a combination of stimulation of different senses and a break from typical overstimulation from urban environments. Exposure to green space results in mental restoration and increased positive emotions and decreased anxiety and rumination. Improved mindfulness can result from exposure to green space as well. Spending time in urban spaces like parks and gardens has been linked with improved health.