3 Surprising Reasons to Get More Nature in Your Life

We’re often advised to get out into nature more often.

Because it combats the negative effects of modern life. It’s obvious to us that walking in nature is relaxing and encourages exercise, and that these are beneficial. But I wondered, are there any other benefits?

It turns out there are, here’s three I found you might find surprising:

1. Green light exposure can reduce pain. There’s plenty of plants in nature, which means green light exposure! Pharmacologist Mohab Ibrahim studied the effect of green light on humans and found it profoundly reduced the intensity and frequency of headaches, migraines, and fibromyalgia. This is probably because it increases enkephalin production, one of the body’s natural pain relievers.

2. It’s good for your eyesight. NHS England notes that both increasing the amount of natural light your eyes get, and spending more time staring far into the distance, alleviate the severity of short-sightedness, and reduce your chance of developing it in the first place. So get out in the sunshine and admire some majestic views!

3. It increases your chances of recovering from traumatic events. A groundbreaking study by Roger Ulrich in 1984 found that hospital patients whose beds had views of gardens, parkland, or countryside had significantly better rates of recovery than those that didn’t. Now widely accepted this informs hospital design. Getting out in nature can literally help cure what ails you! What are you waiting for?

She says heeeeeyyyy baaaaaaabe, take a walk on the wild side…that song’s stuck in my head now…