Enjoying Nature, Green, Blue Spaces Reduces Prescription Drug Needs for Mental Health, Study Shows

According to a recent study, enjoying nature, and taking advantage of its green and blue spaces can help people use prescription drugs for their mental health less frequently.

According to a recent study, spending time in nature's green and blue spaces helps people use less medication for their mental health.

Anu Turunen, a Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare senior researcher in Helsinki, said in an email that when active use or even availability of green space is taken into account, physical activity is thought to be the main significant mediator in the health benefits of green spaces.

Regular Visits

The study's co-author, Turunen, found that spending three to four times a week in nature was linked to a 36% lower likelihood of taking blood pressure medication, a 33% lower likelihood of taking a mental health medication, and a 26% lower likelihood of taking an asthma medication.

Lincoln Larson, a College of Natural Resources associate professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh pointed out that the analysis can highlight important relationships, but we are unable to conclusively determine whether medication use was decreased as a result of greenspace use or proximity. Raleigh was not involved in the study.

Larson further said that perhaps those who were healthier in the beginning and less likely to use prescription medications were those who were more likely to spend time outside initially.

Green Space, Blue Space, Healthy Space

About 6,000 randomly selected people were questioned for the study by Turunen and several colleagues, which was published recently in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, about the use of green and blue spaces within a kilometer of the participants' homes.

Forests, gardens, cemeteries, parks, moors, open grasslands, wetlands, and zoos are all examples of green spaces. Lakes, rivers, and the ocean were examples of blue areas.

People who live close to green spaces experience significant health benefits, according to previous studies. A 2016 study compared the amount of vegetation and plant life near the homes of almost 100,000 women and was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspective. Eight years later, the researchers discovered that the women's death rate was 12% lower and their mental health had improved if they had access to green spaces.

People who live close to green spaces are less likely to die prematurely, according to a 2019 study of green spaces around the world that was published in the journal Planetary Health. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, an episode of his podcast series, Chasing Life, discussed that even medical professionals are starting to recommend nature as a treatment for mental health.

Living with Views

The new study also looked at how having access to green or blue spaces at home affected people's use of medications. Nature watching indoors didn't seem to work.

According to Larson, who has researched the advantages of public parks on the health of urban residents across the United States, experiencing nature rather than simply viewing it had a significant positive impact. Similar findings have been drawn from other studies, such as the one published in PLOS ONE Psychology.

He claimed that one must immerse themselves in those environments to experience the full range of health benefits offered by nature.

Larson continues to believe in the advantages of seeing and experiencing nature, although research has not yet been able to demonstrate a true association.

He continued by saying that, in the absence of such locations, it is still preferable to view greenery or perhaps even engage in virtual nature.

Workplace Indoor Plants

According to a 2019 study in the journal HortTechnology, having plants at work helped Japanese employees feel less stressed, provided their plants didn't die. According to the study, 27% of the workers demonstrated a significant reduction in their resting heart rate, CNN reports.