Why Outdoors and Green Spaces Are Good for Our Health

Outdoors and green spaces may help boost our immune system and improve our overall health. Aside from the vitamin D and fresher air, when we go outdoors we also have a chance to see and socialise with other people. After all, isolation can cause us to feel lonely and get sick.

Why outdoors and green spaces are good for our health

First, we humans have evolved to work with sunlight. When we fall out of tune with the natural cycles, our sleep and health gets disrupted or also falls out of line. You’ve probably noticed that when you stayed indoors for days (going out only to get essentials). It became harder to fall asleep and probably you felt sick. Stress and worries are a factor but also consider the lack of sunlight and outdoor time.

In addition, sunlight and vitamin D can facilitate the release of an antimicrobial peptide which protects us from viral infections. This means spending more time outdoors and getting enough sunshine (as long as you practice important health precautions related to coronaviruses) actually help us gain a stronger defence against viruses and infections. This can also mean that if we get the infection, the symptoms will be less severe.

Spending some time outdoors is also good for our social and mental health. In contrast, staying inside our homes for days or weeks will make us feel lonely and stressed. The feeling of isolation plus the stress and worries will weaken our immune responses. As a result, we might get sick or lose our focus and productivity.

In other words, staying indoors protected us from COVID-19 but this kind of lifestyle made us more vulnerable to other possible illnesses (aside from the feelings of loneliness and isolation). As a result, the government is carefully trying to keep the playgrounds and natural spaces open for children and adults. That’s because they already recognise the importance of the outdoors not just for our cognitive health but also to our overall physical wellbeing.