The health benefits of Spring you might not know you are getting
Kicking off your shoes and getting your feet in the grass (aka grounding or earthing) has a multitude of benefits. It has been shown to improve sleep, normalize the day–night cortisol rhythm, reduce pain, reduce stress, shift the autonomic nervous system from sympathetic toward parasympathetic activation, increase heart rate variability, speed wound healing, and reduce blood viscosity.
Deeply breathing the fresh spring air helps more oxygen flow into your blood and around your body, improving circulation and overall function. It can even slow the heart rate, lower or stabilize blood pressure and improve cognitive abilities as the deep breaths send oxygen to the brain.
The longer days means more opportunity to be exposed to sunlight which enables your body to make vitamin D. Known as the “sunshine vitamin,” vitamin D has many perks, including the ability to regulate your immune system. A regulated immune system helps your body fight off infections.
Sunrise and sunset are natural sources of red and near-infrared light (non UV light). In the early morning, when exposed to dawn light, your body starts a series of hormonal changes. One of them is the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. By the time night falls, your body has enough melatonin to put you into a nice, deep, restorative sleep. |
