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Taking at least twenty minutes of your day to walk around or sit in a place where you feel in touch with nature will drastically reduce your level of stress hormones.
"For the first time," researchers conducted a study on the most effective dose of an urban nature experiment to counteract the effects of modern stress.
Health practitioners can use this discovery, published in Frontiers in Psychology, prescribe "pills for nature" knowing that they have 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 MaryCarol Hunter, associate professor at the University of Michigan and senior author of the research. "Our study shows that to get the best results, in terms of effectively reducing cortisol levels, a stress hormone, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that gives you a glimpse of nature."
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Pills for nature could be an inexpensive solution to reduce the negative health effects of increasing urbanization and inner lifestyles dominated by on-screen visualization. To help health practitioners find evidence-based guidance on exactly what to do, Hunter and his colleagues designed an experiment that would provide a realistic estimate of an effective dose.
Over a period of 8 weeks, participants were asked to take a pill for nature lasting 10 minutes or more, at least 3 times a week. Levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, were measured from saliva samples taken before and after a pill for nature, once every two weeks.
"Participants were free to choose the time of day, duration and location of their experience in the wild, which was defined as being outside of what, in the participant's opinion, gave them the impression to interact with nature. There were some constraints to minimize the factors known to influence stress: taking the pill for nature in broad daylight, not doing aerobic exercise and avoiding the use of social media, the Internet , phone calls, conversations and reading, "says Hunter.
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She added, "The personal flexibility of the experience has allowed us to identify the optimal duration of a pill for nature, no matter when or where it is taken, and in the normal circumstances of modern life, with its unpredictability and busy schedule. "
"We also took into account daily differences in a participant's stress state by collecting four snapshots of cortisol change due to a pill for nature," Hunter said. "It also allowed us to identify and take into account the impact of the continuous natural decline in cortisol levels over the day, making the estimation of the effective duration more reliable." . "
The data revealed that a nature experiment of only 20 minutes was enough to significantly reduce cortisol levels – but if you spent a little more time in a nature experiment, sitting or walking 20 to 30 minutes, the cortisol levels fell to the maximum. After that, additional de-stressing benefits continue to add up, but at a slower pace.
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"Health practitioners can use our results as a factual rule of thumb to determine what to prescribe in a pill prescription for nature," says Hunter. "It provides the first estimates of the impact of nature's experiences on stress levels in the context of normal everyday life. It breaks new ground by addressing some of the challenges of measuring an effective dose in nature. "
Hunter hopes this study will form the basis for future research in this area.
"Our experimental approach can be used as a tool to evaluate how age, sex, seasonality, physical abilities and culture influence the effectiveness of nature's experiences of well-being. This will prescribe personalized natural pills, as well as a deeper insight into the design of cities and wellness programs aimed at the public. "
Plant positivity by sharing research with your friends on social media – Picture of Marco Antonio Ibarra Neri, CC
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