After this year’s long and rain-filled spring, just about everyone I know is itching to get out and enjoy the extended daylight and gentle breezes. Recent research has shown that being in nature has very real benefits for our physical and emotional health. For family caregivers, summer weather offers opportunities for slowing down a bit and exploring the healing powers of nature.
Most of us don’t get outside enough. The EPA has shown that the average American spends 90% of their time indoors.1 And of course, family caregivers looking after a homebound loved one may find it especially difficult to get outside.
What are the health benefits of outdoor time? Foremost, exposure to sunlight increases the body’s ability to make and use Vitamin D, a vitamin that many of us lack in sufficient amounts. It seems that Vitamin D is the new buzzword — studies suggest that the vitamin has protective effects against everything from osteoporosis to cancer to depression to heart attacks and stroke.2
Now, you have to be careful when getting Vitamin D from sunlight because dermatologists caution that unprotected sun exposure leads to an increased risk of skin cancers. They recommend use of sunscreens, which unfortunately block absorption of Vitamin D along with dangerous UV rays. Luckily, you need only about 15 minutes of sunshine on your arms and legs a few times a week to receive a Vitamin D boost. Each person should consult with his or her own doctor, but the July 2010 issue of the Harvard Health Letter proposes a reasonable guideline: short periods of exposure to sunlight a few times a week, with liberal use of sunscreen if you’re going to be outside for more than 15 minutes.3
And for your mental health? Natural light tends to elevate mood. A 2009 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health showed that the closer you live to nature, the healthier you’re likely to be: people who lived within 1 kilometer of a park or a wooded area experienced less anxiety and depression than those who lived farther away from green space.4 It seems that being in nature, or even close to it, can help relieve some of the stresses of modern life, including too much television, distractions from cell phones and beepers, and lack of physical activity.
So if you’re a family caregiver in charge of someone who can’t easily get out, can you reap any of the benefits of outdoor time? Here are some things to try:
- Carry two lawn chairs in your car and anytime you have a few minutes, set them up and enjoy the weather. If getting into a lawn chair is too difficult for your loved one, park in the shade and open the doors and windows of the car, allowing the summer breezes in.
- If your family member can be left alone for a few minutes, use that time to take a quick walk outside. Even five minutes of exercising outside has been shown to lift mood through exposure to green spaces.5 Plus, you’ll be building your heart muscle!
- If your family member can’t be left alone, then here’s your chance to cash in on your friends’ offers to help. Ask them to mind your loved one for a few minutes and get yourself outside.
- Set up your outdoor space. If you have a patio, deck or terrace, put sturdy chairs there for you and your loved one, and take the time to go out. You and your family member will both enjoy the change of pace.
- If you live in an apartment with no access to outdoor space, open a sunny window and sit nearby to enjoy the benefits from inside.
So for a positive boost to your mood and your health, remember to “let the sun shine in” on your life this summer and make it a priority to enjoy the out-of-doors a little bit each day.
1. http://cfpub.epa.gov/eroe/index.cfm?fuseaction=list.listBySubTopic&ch=46&s=343
2. http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/spending-time-outdoors-is-good-for-you
3. http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/spending-time-outdoors-is-good-for-you
4. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1680
