Living close to Nature improves Brain Health

Studies have repeatedly shown that outdoor exposure can reduce stress in humans. Another study found that spending more time outdoors can help prevent mental distress. According to Washington State University researchers, living near green (outdoor facilities, parks, forests) and blue (bodies of water) may reduce the risk of serious mental illness in older adults.

Stress can lead to mild cognitive impairment and the onset of dementia in older people.

Any mental health condition that requires treatment or that moderately or severely impairs an individual's ability to perform at work, school, or in another social setting was described by the study authors as mental distress. In this study, the team evaluated 42,980 seniors living in urban areas of Washington state.

"Because we don't have effective ways to prevent or treat mild cognitive impairment and dementia, we need to approach these problems creatively," said Solmaz Amiri, DDes, of the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine at Washington State University in Spokane , Washington, in the press release.

Photo Credit: River Park|Living close to Nature 

"We hope that this study, which shows improved mental health in people living near parks and bodies of water, will stimulate further research into how these benefits work and whether this proximity can help prevent mental illness." or to delay. Mild cognitive impairment and dementia.” .

The research team tried to determine how many people were in the green or blue zones using data previously obtained from the US Census and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Green spaces for this study included adjacent city parks, neighborhood gardens, and even cemeteries. Any body of water, including a lake, a body of water, a large river, and an ocean, has been considered a blue body.

Why does it help the brain?

Each subject completed a questionnaire to assess the level of psychological distress. The surveys included six items on a five-point scale and asked participants how often they experienced symptoms of sadness and anxiety.

Questions also included the number of days they were unable to work due to mental distress, the number of days their productivity was halved, and how often they sought professional help. The results of these tests ranged from 0 to 24 with a mean of 2.

The study authors found that participants who scored 13 or higher experienced significant psychological distress, which accounted for 2 percent of the sample. Sixty percent of people lived within half a mile of a blue area and 70 percent near a green area. Compared with those who lived further away, those who lived less than half a mile from green or blue space had a 17 percent lower risk of severe mental distress.

Almost 1.3% of people living within a half mile of water and parks have experienced severe mental distress, compared to 1.5% of those living further away.

Please note that this test has some limitations. According to the researchers, the respondents expressed themselves subjectively about their mental suffering.