![Depression: the benefits of 30 minutes in nature per week](https://img.passeportsante.net/1000x526/2016-06-27/i64050-depression-les-bienfaits-de-30-minutes-dans-la-nature-par-semaine.jpg)
June 27, 2016.
According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Queensland, Australia, spending 30 minutes a week in nature would be effective in fighting depression and high blood pressure.
Nature reduces stress and fatigue
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. A rate which should rise to 70% of the population in 2015. And this urbanization would not be trivial for health. This is why many studies even add that people living in the countryside have fewer problems with obesity, cardiovascular diseases, allergies or mental disorders.
A very latest study, carried out by researchers at the University of Queensland, reveals in particular thatit would take 30 minutes per week in contact with nature, whether in green spaces, parks or in the countryside, to reduce the risk of depression or high blood pressure.
Physical, psychological and social well-being
To arrive at this finding, the researchers studied the medical data of more than 1,500 Australians between the ages of 18 and 70. They were thus able to observe that contact with nature provided physical, psychological and social well-being, as it reduced stress and mental fatigue. This study also reveals that spending time in contact with nature made people feel better in society and encouraged them to take up sport.
” If each of us went to a park for half an hour every week, there would be 7% fewer cases of depression and 9% fewer cases of high blood pressure ”Says Dr. Danielle Shanahan, lead author of the study.
For all the States of the European Union, the cost of stress is estimated at around 20 billion euros per year. Spending time in public gardens would therefore be beneficial for health and would allow our States to make great savings.
Read also: Why nature makes us feel good