Category: Mental Health

The results come from 140 studies on 290 million people.

Spending time outside in green spaces reduces stress, improves sleep and has a host of health benefits, research finds.

On top of the psychological benefits, over one hundred studies have linked being closer to nature to health benefits like lower risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.

Ms Caoimhe Twohig-Bennett, the study’s first author, said:

“Spending time in nature certainly makes us feel healthier, but until now the impact on our long-term wellbeing hasn’t been fully understood.

We gathered evidence from over 140 studies involving more than 290 million people to see whether nature really does provide a health boost.”

Ms Twohig-Bennett explained the study’s results:

“We found that spending time in, or living close to, natural green spaces is associated with diverse and significant health benefits.

It reduces the risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, premature death, and preterm birth, and increases sleep duration.

People living closer to nature also had reduced diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and stress. In fact, one of the really interesting things we found is that exposure to greenspace significantly reduces people’s levels of salivary cortisol — a physiological marker of stress.”

The Japanese have long enjoyed ‘Shinrin yoku,’ or the practice of ‘forest bathing‘.

Ms Twohig-Bennett said:

“Forest bathing is already really popular as a therapy in Japan — with participants spending time in the forest either sitting or lying down, or just walking around.

Our study shows that perhaps they have the right idea!”

It’s not clear exactly what causes the benefits, but Ms Twohig-Bennett speculates:

“People living near greenspace likely have more opportunities for physical activity and socialising.

Meanwhile, exposure to a diverse variety of bacteria present in natural areas may also have benefits for the immune system and reduce inflammation.

Much of the research from Japan suggests that phytoncides — organic compounds with antibacterial properties — released by trees could explain the health-boosting properties of forest bathing.”

The study was published in the journal Environmental Research (Twohig-Bennett & Jones, 2018).

This generation is under increasing psychological pressure.

Mental health problems are on the rise among teenagers, research finds.

Depression has risen by around two-thirds in teenagers, in comparison to the previous generation.

Teenagers are now also more likely to self-harm, be overweight, sleep deprived and to suffer body image problems.

However, modern teenagers are less likely to perpetrate antisocial behaviour or drink and take drugs.

Dr Suzanne Gage, study co-author, said:

“It has seemed for a while that mental health difficulties in young people are on the rise, but this study really highlights the scale at which this increase might be occurring.

The next step is to understand why these increases are occurring, so young people can be supported better.”

The conclusions come from data culled from two British studies.

One followed 5,600 children born in 1991-92, the second followed 11,000 born in 2000-01.

The results showed that modern teenagers are in worse psychological shape than those born ten years before.

Almost 15 percent of teenagers reported being depressed in 2015, compared with 9 percent in 2005.

Self-harm had increased from 12 percent to 14 percent.

Along with depressive symptoms rising by two-thirds, obesity had almost doubled in the ten years.

Dr Praveetha Patalay, the study’s first author, said:

“The increasing trends of poor sleep, obesity and negative body image might help explain rising mental health difficulties experienced by young people.

Where the trends are moving in opposite directions – decreasing substance use and antisocial behaviour – the interpretation becomes more complicated.

Identifying explanations for these high prevalences and changing trends are key for preventing further poor physical and mental health for future generations of young people.”

→ Read on: 3 signs of depression in young people.

The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (Patalay & Gage, 2019).