Gardening for Health!

There is increasing evidence that exposure to plants and green space, and particularly to gardening, is beneficial to emotional, mental, and physical health.

Health depends on a range of social, economic, and environmental factors, as is emphasized by the shameful disparity between the length of life in different areas of the country.

Viewing plants has been found to alter EEG recordings and reduced stress, fear, anger and sadness, as well as reducing blood pressure, pulse rate and muscle tension. Another study simply found that it’s more beneficial physiologically to view a green hedge rather than a concrete fence. 

Short walks through a garden are known to improved mental health.

Putting plants in a computer room will improve productivity and lower blood pressure. Indoor gardening has been used for the treatment mental health problems. It is not only the appearance of plants that is beneficial: their leaves remove toxins, dust and microorganisms from the air and they also produce the negative ions from their leaves. The overall evidence that charged ions affect mood is, however, unconvincing, despite advertisements strongly recommending their benefits.

Many studies concur that higher proportions of green space are associated with less depression, anxiety and stress. Green space has been linked with increased longevity. Exposure to green space seems to reduce health inequalities related to deprivation.

Therapeutic gardens have been used for thousands of years for physical,

mental, and emotional health.

The effects of gardening on your body and mind

Why does gardening seem to be so beneficial to health? It combines physical activity with social interaction and exposure to nature and sunlight. Sunlight lowers blood pressure as well as increasing vitamin D levels in the summer, and the fruit and vegetables that are produced have a positive impact on the diet. Working in the garden restores dexterity and strength, and the aerobic exercise that is involved can easily use the same number of calories as might be expended in a gym. Digging, raking, and mowing are particularly calorie intense; there is a garden gym outside many windows.

The social interaction provided by communal and therapeutic garden projects can counteract social isolation. Furthermore, it has also been reported that the social benefits of such projects can delay the symptoms of dementia.

Intelligent Health points out that the pandemic of physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of premature death, and contributes to preventable physical and mental disorders. The Department of Health calculates that an increase of only 10% in average exercise by adults would postpone 6000 deaths and save over $500 million annually. Regular moderate intensity exercise may reduce the risk of dementia, mental health problems, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer of the breast and colon.

Gardening has been found to be more effective than walking, education or maintaining alcohol intake at moderate levels in protecting against dementia. It enhances self esteem and alters the EEG. Similarly, moderate exercise in leisure time is associated with increased longevity, regardless of weight, particularly if combined with exposure to natural scenes.

Thankfully, high intensity exercise is not needed to obtain these benefits, which is perhaps as well given that the uptake of cycling- and gym-based exercise is poor in the older population, and that these activities can be expensive. Gardening or simply walking through green spaces could therefore be important to our overall health and well-being

Trees, hedges, and other plants counter climate change by trapping carbon and emitting oxygen; and worldwide, forests may offset a quarter of man-made carbon dioxide. They also improve the environment by reducing noise, heat, glare, wind, water run-off, erosion and dust. Cooling from shading and the evaporation of water from leaves can reduce the need for air conditioning in buildings, and cooling also reduces the formation of some pollutants, such as ozone. Even lawns and turf are helpful, also trapping pollutants and passing them on to soil microorganisms, in addition to providing recreational space for exercise. Plants may also help to solve the problem of polluted soils in industrial areas.

I encourage you not to see danger in exercise in the garden, green spaces, parks and the countryside. Instead, they should emphasize the potential benefits to patients’ health, such as improvements in strength, balance and dexterity.