Camping magazines and brochures always suggest that camping is healthy for all of us. They use words like ‘fresh air’ alongside idyllic pictures of children smiling and playing in green meadows or woodlands. But is camping beneficial to our health?
The easy answer to that is yes. Here’s the science behind why the body will love you for getting to the great outdoors.
Camping Helps to Improve Your Sleep
Sleep is something we can all use more of than anything. Do you laugh when you think that you’re supposed to sleep eight to nine hours a night? Most of us are fortunate to get six hours in one night. Hectic schedules and obligations limit how much sleep we get. If you’re camping, then the chances are that you’ve chosen to spend some time out from your busy lifestyle and commitments; good for you!
Camping is a great way to get your circadian pattern back on track. The circadian cycle is our body’s daily sleep cycle.
Did you know the darkness triggers our body to know it is time to sleep?
Because of modern artificial lighting, our body’s natural tendency to sleep when it’s dark is often disturbed. However, when you go camping, there will likely be a lot fewer artificial lights to keep you up at night. The darkness of the night helps us enormously to fall asleep and remain asleep. Plus, the rising sun naturally helps to wake you up. The sun is the best alarm clock we’ve got. There is no doubt that sleep is a crucial function. Camping can make your sleep better and thus, improve your health.
Camping Helps With Problem-Solving
Quite often, camping and its activities pose problems to you, some that even Google can’t reliably solve! Often these are challenges that one does not regularly experience: setting up a tent or dealing with situations where you are not equipped with mod-cons or commonly associated surroundings.
Besides, camping almost always exposes you to new experiences, presumably an activity that you’ve been trying to do but never got around to accomplishing.
Whatever the case may be, there is a great deal of research that indicates that resolving new experiences and challenges can keep our brains healthy as they force us to think for ourselves. Better yet, they can also enhance self-confidence, growth, and happiness.
Camping Helps Improve Children’s Education
Regarding the above, camping can have an immediate positive effect on children’s performance. And this is more relevant in the age of smartphones and tablets, and other technology.
Many kids are likely to be more confident about navigating around an iPad, checking for Bluey or Peppa Pig videos, or browsing the internet than they will be inside of a tent. Yet, camping introduces kids to a whole new world and makes them overcome new challenges. Exposure to a different set of challenges keeps children’s brains healthy and leads to increased learning potential.
A UK research by the Plymouth University Institute of Education showed that the vast majority of parents claimed that camping had a positive effect on children’s education. More social statements back this argument.
Camping Helps Relieve Stress
All the other camping benefits on this list might be linked to stress relief. Stress is a feeling of physical or mental strain. Stress levels are higher now than they have ever been in history. Why is that? It’s a very complicated matter, but many people want to equate everything to the internet rather than the real world and still feel “connected” to anything at all times.
We also need to find ways to cope with our tension before it escalates to more severe problems. Stress is a natural part of life, and a little of it is good. It’s when our tension levels mount up too high, and we don’t have a way to reduce it, that it becomes something more severe. Camping and many camping events can help alleviate and manage tension.
Camping Helps You Socialize With Others
Humans are social beings that need to associate with other people to keep themselves happy and healthy. Nevertheless, in today’s digital age, socializing has taken a back seat. We spend much more time on the internet and in front of phone displays, monitor screens, tv screens, tablet screens, etc. Camping might be a time to break away from the new standard and get back to our roots. Socialization is nothing but healthy for us. Although we need time on our own, social time is essential for everyone.
You can have a friendship with your family, friends, girlfriend, or even some total strangers. Camping could be the best time to meet new friends. Try chatting to your camping neighbors every time you’re on a camping trip; nine times out of 10, they’re going to be friendly and reciprocate your friendliness. Sharing a campground with total strangers could be one of the better camping choices you will make.
Camping Helps Increase the Production of Melatonin and Serotonin
Melatonin and serotonin are hormones produced by our bodies. Both are essential for particular bodily functions, and both are important in their own ways. In layman’s terms, serotonin is regarded as the substance of pleasure for our body. Meanwhile, melatonin is known as the drug that lets us get a full night’s sleep.
So, how does camping help you increase the production of these hormones? It’s effortless. Sunlight allows our brain to generate serotonin, and when we camp, we always get a lot of the sun since we’re out there for a long time. Then, as the sun sets, it becomes dark when you’re out camping, and there are no city lights, street lights, candles, etc., to create artificial light. This intensified darkness allows our brains to generate melatonin and helps us sleep better and have a more restful sleep.
Bonus Tip:
Camping Makes You Happier
Camping goes a long way to boost your mood. It’s all about serotonin, the excellent chemical that our body produces to help keep us happy. We’ve also focused on some of the things that help the body produce serotonin: more sunshine, more oxygen, and increased physical activity. And while you’re camping, you’re sure to tick all of these crosses. Happy days to you!
