HomeLifestyleHealth & FitnessThe Simple Habit That Could Boost Benefits of Exercise, Cut Hypertension, Psychotropic,...

The Simple Habit That Could Boost Benefits of Exercise, Cut Hypertension, Psychotropic, Asthma Meds Use – By More Than 30%

Published on

This could be a potential solution to enhance health and live longer.

While it is believed that exposure to natural environments can be beneficial for one’s health, the evidence supporting this claim is inconsistent, according to authors of the new study published today in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.

The researchers aimed to investigate if there is any association between the frequency of visits to green spaces, the amount of residential green and blue spaces (bodies of water) and the views of green and blue spaces from home with the use of certain prescription medications.

The researchers chose to study prescription medications as an indicator of poor health, specifically those used to treat common and serious health issues such as anxiety and insomnia, depression, high blood pressure, and asthma. They analyzed the responses of 16,000 randomly selected residents of the Helsinki Capital Region, including the cities of Helsinki, Espoo, and Vantaa, who participated in the Helsinki Capital Region Environmental Health Survey conducted in 2015-2016. These three cities constitute the largest urban area in Finland.

The survey conducted gathered data on how the city residents aged 25 and above experience the green and blue spaces within a 1 km radius of their homes. The respondents were asked to report their use of prescribed medications, including psychotropic drugs for anxiety, insomnia, and depression, drugs for high blood pressure and asthma, if applicable, for periods ranging from the past week to more than a year ago or never.

The respondents were also asked about their outdoor activities such as spending time or exercising in green spaces during the months of May and September, with options ranging from never to 5 or more times a week.

They were also queried about the availability of green or blue spaces views from their home windows and how often they take in these views, with options ranging from seldom to often.

Forests, gardens, parks, castle parks, cemeteries, zoos, groupings of herbaceous plants, such as moors and natural grasslands, and wetlands were all considered to be green spaces. Sea, lakes, and rivers were considered to be blue regions.

Health-related behaviors, outside noise and air pollution, family income, and level of education were all taken into account as potential influencing variables.

Approximately 6000 individuals with full data were included in the final study.

This indicated that residential green and blue spaces, or views of them from home, were not linked to mental health, insomnia, high blood pressure, or asthma prescription medication usage.

But the number of times people went to green spaces was. Three to four visits per week were linked to 33% lower chances of using mental health medications, 36% lower odds of using blood pressure medications, and 26% lower odds of using asthma medications compared to fewer than one visit per week.

Visiting at least 5 times a week resulted in a 22%, 41%, and 24% decrease in equivalent figures, respectively.

When weight (BMI) was taken into account, these observed links got weaker. This was especially true for asthma meds, since obesity is a known risk factor for asthma, say the researchers.

The effects of going to green spaces were also stronger for people whose household income was below €30,000 or $32,500 per year. Although, in general, the relationships discovered were independent of both family wealth and educational level.

Due to its observational nature, this study cannot determine cause and effect. Additionally, no data on illness severity was collected and it is possible that individuals in better health may have more opportunities to spend time outside.

The authors note that Finland has a high amount of forest coverage and its cities are relatively green, making it easy for individuals to access green spaces with minimal effort, assuming they are willing to use them.

The authors conclude that as the amount of scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of nature exposure continues to grow, it is likely that the availability and use of high quality green spaces in urban environments will also increase, which could improve health and well-being in cities.

Source: 10.1136/oemed-2022-108491

Image Credit: Getty

Latest articles

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...

Science Shock: Salmon’s Food Choices Better at Reducing Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Salmon: Rich in Health Benefits, Yet May Offer Less Nutritional Value - This is...

More like this

Here’s How and When Mount Everest-sized ‘Devil Comet’ Can Be Seen With Naked Eye

Mount Everest sized Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, also known as "devil comet" which is making its...

Something Fascinating Happened When a Giant Quantum Vortex was Created in Superfluid Helium

Scientists created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the...

The Science of Middle-aged Brain and the Best Thing You Can Do to Keep it Healthy, Revealed

Middle age: It is an important period in brain aging, characterized by unique biological...