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NEW YORK
According to a new study, taking just 20 minutes of your day to walk around or sit close to nature will dramatically reduce your stress hormone levels.
Researchers at the University of Michigan can use these findings to prescribe "pills for nature" to produce a real measurable effect.
"We know that spending time in nature reduces stress, but until now, we did not know what was enough, how often to do it, or even what kind of experience in nature we would benefit, "said lead author, MaryCarol Hunter.
For the study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, the research team consisted of 36 participants. Over an eight-week period, they were asked to take a "pill for nature" for at least 10 minutes, three times a week.
Levels of cortisol – a stress hormone – were measured from saliva samples taken before and after taking the "pill for nature" once every two weeks.
The data revealed that a 20-minute nature experiment was enough to significantly reduce cortisol levels.
And if you take a little more experience of nature – 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking – cortisol levels have dropped to their highest rate, the researchers said.
"Our study shows that to effectively reduce the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, you have to spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place conducive to discovering nature," Hunter said. – IANS
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