Did you guess what it is? It’s being out in nature! Enjoying nature by going for a walk, hiking or gardening is the best way to lower stress, blood pressure, and to improve overall health.

Enjoying nature may lessen the need for some medications, study finds

Going for a walk in a park or along a lake or a tree-lined space may reduce the need for medication for anxiety, asthma, depression, high blood pressure and insomnia, a new study found.

“Physical activity in nature is thought to be the key mediating factor in the health benefits of green spaces .” study coauthor Anu Turunen, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, in an email.

The study found visiting nature three to four times a week was associated with 36% lower odds of using blood pressure pills, 33% lower odds of using mental health medications, and 26% lower odds of using asthma medications.

The study author did say that it could be that people who are already prone to healthy habits get out more in nature and do more physical exercise which leads to all the benefits noted.

Green and blue space

The study, published Monday, January 16, in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, interviewed approximately 6,000 random people in three of the largest cities in Finland about their use of green and blue spaces within a short distance of their homes.

Green spaces included forests, gardens, parks, cemeteries, moors, natural grasslands, wetlands and zoos.

A 2019 study of green spaces around the globe found people who live near them are less likely to die prematurely.

Prior studies have found people living near green spaces reap significant health benefits. A 2016 study compared the amount of plant life and vegetation near the homes of almost 100,000 women. After eight years, the researchers found having access to the most green space reduced the women’s death rate by 12% — and improved their mental health.

Blue spaces included lakes, rivers and the sea.

Even doctors are beginning to prescribe nature as a treatment for mental health. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Spending time in nature boosts health, study finds.

Do views from inside the home count as nature?

The new study also investigated the impact of being able to view green or blue spaces from home on the use of medications. Conclusion: Observing nature while indoors didn’t appear to work.

“Just seeing nature didn’t really move the needle, but experiencing it did. Other research points to similar conclusions,” said Larson, who has studied the benefits of public parks across the United States on the well-being of urban dwellers.

“If you want to reap the full health benefits of what nature can provide, you have to immerse yourself in those settings by heading outside.”

Do you put a plant on your desk?

A 2019 study found taking care of plants in the workplace slightly reduced stress for Japanese workers. On an objective measurement, 27% of the workers showed a significant decrease in their resting heart rate, according to the study.