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Feel The Difference!
I put a large tsp of Inulin in a warm foraged live cordial each morning to give the ‘Zoo’ a good start to the day! Perfect!
More and more our lives are becoming urbanized. The increasing complexity of consumer technology is pushing us to live in more efficient (aka fast-paced) work and home environments. Time staring at a computer or phone screen is rising daily and is creating health concerns and a national sleep crisis.
But a 20 minute walk in nature may be all it takes to reduce all these negative impacts. This remedy is being dubbed the “nature-pill” and a recent study proved that the stress hormone cortisol was reduced in a group of participants as they spent time relaxing in a natural setting. The studies goal was to assist healthcare practitioners looking for evidence based results on how to prescribe a “walk through the park” to their patients.
“This study describes the relationship between duration of a nature experience (NE), and changes in two physiological biomarkers of stress – salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase.”
This measured result, means that for the first time, healthcare professionals can actually prescribe nature interactions as a reliable way to manage stress in patients. But looking at this more proactively, taking time out of your day to sit or relax in a natural setting will significantly lower your stress levels before any conditions can develop.
The study itself was run over an 8 week period where participants were asked to relax in nature for a minimum duration of 10 minutes.
"... study participants are free to choose the time of day, duration, and the place of a NE in response to personal preference and changing daily schedules.”
This flexibility allowed the researches to monitor and identify the ideal duration of the “nature-pill” which means more specific diagnosis and more reliable results when repeated.
The minimum effective dose of the “nature-pill” is a 20 minute experience; this was shown to reliably lower cortisol levels. You should aim to spend the time sitting, lying down or meditating.
Aerobic exercise or distractions like audio or a book will dampen the overall effect. If you can extend your time to 30 minutes this will have the greatest effect on your cortisol levels.
Additional time has a continued effect but at a much lower rate, which 20 to 30 minutes being the sweet spot.
“The efficiency of a nature pill per time expended was greatest between 20 and 30 min, after which benefits continued to accrue, but at a reduced rate.”
The hope is this study will serve as a step towards further and deeper research into this area.
Where could you go to get your dose of stress lowering nature? Are there parks nearby, or a nice river or lake? Not all of us are lucky enough to have a forest on our doorstep, and this could be even harder depending on where you work. So have a think this weekend where you could escape to for 20 minutes to allow your mind to calm.
Study Referenced:
MaryCarol R. Hunter, Brenda W. Gillespie, Sophie Yu-Pu Chen.
Urban Nature Experiences Reduce Stress in the Context of Daily Life Based on Salivary Biomarkers.Frontiers in Psychology, 2019; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00722