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Visit green spaces like parks, mountains and gardens can drastically reduce the use of prescription mental health drugs, according to research.
Do these walks three to four times a week, helps reduce up to a third the chances that people will take medication for anxiety or depression, for example.
The positive impact, documented by researchers at the Finnish Institute of Health and Well-being, also argues that visiting green spaces reduces the chances that a city resident will need to take medication for asthma or high blood pressure.
“The accumulation of scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of exposure to nature is likely to increase the supply of high-quality green spaces in urban environments and promote their active use”, write the researchers.
There are fewer and fewer natural spaces in cities
Currently, more than half of the world population lives in cities and according to the United Nations (UN) this figure will increase to 60% of the world population in 2030.
But a growing body of research suggests that a lack of access to nature has a detrimental impact on physical and mental health.
In fact, a survey of 16,000 residents of Helsinki and the surrounding area compiled how often they visited green spaces, including not only forests and parks, but also wetlands, cemeteries and zoos, and “blue areas” such as lakes.
The researchers also collected information from respondents on how many prescription drugs they took. This was used as a general indication of mental and physical health.
The correlation between time in nature and drug use was strong. A resident who visited a green space three to four times a week was 33% less likely to use mental health medications and 26% less likely to use asthma medications.
Urban areas, where concrete and asphalt absorb the sun’s rays, act as “heat islands” during summer weather. Trees in green spaces provide shade and release cooling moisture into the air.
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