The Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

While many of us have always felt a sense of calmness when working in our backyards or sitting out on our patios, there is now lots of research that proves spending time among nature can improve not only our wellbeing but our health. The National Institute of Health (NIH) published a report that draws on multiple studies, which show contact with nature improves a variety of conditions and diseases including: depression and anxiety disorders, diabetes, mellitus, cancer, respiratory diseases and more. It explains that time spent “in and around tree-lined streets, gardens, parks, and forested and agricultural lands is consistently linked to objective, long-term health outcomes.” Moreover, it found higher risks for morbidity and mortality linked to people in less green surroundings leading researchers to hypothesize that greening neighborhoods with more parks and trees may be an effective, inexpensive intervention for better health. 

Thus, spending time sitting on your deck, walking along a tree-lined street or simply looking out your window at a tree in your backyard, communing with nature benefits our health and wellbeing. In fact, in the 1980s, renowned biologist E. O. Wilson first introduced the idea that humans have an innate connection to nature. Around that same time, a professor of architecture at Texas A&M University began studying how surgery patients seemed to be discharged faster and needed fewer painkillers if they had a view of a nature scene outside their hospital window. Also, more recent studies have shown hospital patients exposed to “natural light, windows, and healing gardens are related to reduced stress, improved healing, and reduced use of pain medicines.”

If you are looking for the finest senior living Des Moines/West Des Moines has to offer, we encourage you to consider MorningStar at Jordan Creek. Our assisted living residents enjoy nature strolling on paths through our beautifully landscaped grounds or getting their hands dirty in our raised garden beds. Memory care residents are also able to enjoy the outdoors with their own enclosed courtyard. We are still accepting residents during this difficult time, confident in our protective protocols. Please see our website for more information about our community and an update from the CEO regarding our coronavirus response.

MorningStar Assisted Living & Memory Care at Jordan Creek offers the very best in senior living with our distinct mission statement “to honor, to serve, to invest.” Our foundation is built on honoring God, valuing all seniors and selecting staff with a felt calling to serve to create a true “home” for residents. Visit our website to learn more about the finest senior living Des Moines and the surrounding area offers.

Sources:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4548093/
jphmpdirect.com/2020/04/30/our-need-for-the-outdoors-the-role-of-nature-during-covid-19/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-need-for-the-outdoors-the-role-of-nature-during-covid-19&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=our-need-for-the-outdoors-the-role-of-nature-during-covid-19