The Ocean + Your Health

 DID YOU KNOW?

The noise that the ocean or other bodies of open water emit can lower our levels of cortisol, the hormone that causes stress, and make us feel safer and calmer.

It's commonly known that going to the beach is relaxing. In fact, for those of us that don't live on the beach, thinking about going to the beach may be associated with feelings or memories of vacations or breaks from work, which can bring us to a mental place of calm. Adding to that, several scientific studies have now shown how looking at bodies of water can help to activate a calm, happy state in the brain.

A team of European scientists working with a project called BlueHealth studied the relationship between being near water and good health. Their goal was to discover how city-dwelling Europeans might benefit from "blue spaces" and how it might help with major public health challenges such as physical inactivity and mental health disorders. They discovered that the specific sounds & rhythms of moving water stimulate a part of the brain called the prefontal cortex, which is the part resonsible for our emotions and our personal reflection. They also found that the water amplifies our ability to know ourselves and to feel stable and happy emotionally.Another study showed that just being near the ocean could be healthy. This study concluded that when we are at the beach, our body absorbs the negative ions that the ocean waves expulses, which may aid in more oxygen absorption and regulation of our seratonin levels. Seratonin helps us control anxiety and a healthy serotonin level may feel like right after you've finished a yoga class.

Finally, other specialists affirm that the ocean's sound reduces our levels of cortisone (the stress hormone) and makes us calm. Some even suggest that the sounds of the ocean may remind us subconsciously of the sound that our mother's heartbeats make while we are in the womb, which is related to feelings of protection & security.

"When we look towards the sea, we perceive infinity" -

neuroscientist

Michael Merzenic

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