Two hours a week in nature would have a beneficial impact on our health

"The art of medicine is to distract the sick while nature heals," said Voltaire. We have known for a long time the benefits of nature on the body and the mind, but no researcher had yet calculated the time of immersion necessary to have a concrete impact on the body. A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports, we light on this point.

Researchers from the Universities of Exeter (United Kingdom) and Uppsala (Sweden) badyzed data from a large environmental study. After studying the age, bad, dating status and sporting habits of more than 20,000 participants, they met with them and asked them questions, including: "are you satisfied with your life today? "," how is your state of health in general ", or" how long have you been in the wild in the last seven days? "

The researchers then averaged the amount of time participants spent in the wild each week and discovered that to get a health or wellness benefit, we had to spend at least two hours a week there. "Two hours a week is an achievable goal for many people," enthuses Dr. Mathew P.White, lead author of the study.

The benefits of nature walks

Their study was conducted on a very large sample of the population, the researchers hope that the health authorities will quickly take into account their results to put in place new measures. "There are many reasons why spending time in nature can be beneficial to health and well-being.

Among them, taking a step back, reducing stress and enjoying quality time with family and friends, "said Professor Terry Harting, co-author of the study," health professionals could rely on our results to recommend that patients spend time in nature just as they encourage them to engage in regular physical activity, "he continues.

Green spaces beneficial for the concentration of children

The positive impact of nature and green spaces on mental and physical health has already been proven. A few weeks ago, a study suggested that grown up near green areas had better mental health than those from urban areas.

In 2015, Spanish scientists had also demonstrated the benefits of nature on the memory and attention of children by studying the cognitive development of more than 2,500 pups from 6 to 10 years old. Children in regular contact with nature thus had a better memory of work and more ease in concentrating at school than others.

In the same vein, other studies had previously shown the benefit of green space on children with hyperactivity or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADHD). For example, a twenty-minute walk in a park would improve the concentration of children with effects comparable to drugs, unlike a walk in an urban setting. In addition, playing regularly in green environments would reduce these children's troubles compared to those playing indoors or in concrete environments.

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