You know the feeling, you take a deep breath of salty sea air, you stand on the shore and watch the waves roll in and out again and your shoulders seem to drop by about 5 inches?
That is the healing effect of the sea. There has been so much research done to prove the benefits of living by the seaside or simply visiting the seaside to our overall health, wellbeing and our mood.
For most of the past year many of us have mostly only seen the inside of the 4 walls of our homes, having being working from home, home schooling, maybe even having to isolate for a period of time or shielding.
We all need a prescription of Vitamin Sea! Portrush is the perfect destination, being surrounded by the most beautiful coastline dotted with beaches and opportunities to connect with nature as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Ocean Therapy - Nature's Doctor
1. Boosts Health and Wellbeing
After a winter (and a year!) of being cooped up in dry heating conditions, spring is the perfect time to give some love back to our bodies and reap the benefits to our health that sea air can bring. Sea air is clean and enriched with vital minerals that will help to boost healthy respiratory systems. Filled with salt, iodine and magnesium, inhaling salty sea air deep into our lungs can help to loosen mucus and stimulate our immune systems, helping to clear airways.
In fact, in the 18th century, the ocean was considered as a miracle cure-all, with doctors prescribing drinking a pint of sea water to cure various ailments from leprosy to heatstroke to depression.
And if you're brave enough to swim in the cold waters, the positive effects on health of cold water swimming have been well documented, including increasing the level of white blood cells according to one Czech study.
2. Improves Mood
It’s no coincidence that we feel well rested after a coastal break or even a day at the beach. Gazing upon the waves and the indefinite horizon has a direct impact on lowering our stress levels. It almost forces us to literally ‘unplug’ from the daily grind and ‘plug into’ nature.
People who live by the sea or visit regularly are shown to live happier lives, love their jobs more and are generally in a lower state of stress. If you live in a city or a built up area you can tap into this feeling of wellbeing by even taking a few day trips or short breaks to recharge the batteries.
There's science evidence to prove this -
If you live in a city, you’ll know the difference ocean air can make. “Sea air is charged with negative ions, which increases our happy hormone, serotonin.” Kevin Benitez Garcia, Gran Canaria Wellness.
“The sound and vision of the ocean lifts our mood." Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Arghya Sarkhel.
“The touch of sand and the smell of a seaside breeze leads to relaxation. On a biological level, this audio-visual stimulus incites our parasympathetic nervous system – that activates ‘rest and digest’, as opposed to ‘fight or flight'.”
Being relaxed often leads to families and friends enjoying spending more time connecting. When families were interviewed about their feelings about being by the sea, Kids reported that "it’s the place where their parents play with them." Studies have shown that relaxing natural environments such as by the seaside provide more opportunities for better conversations and to spend time doing activities we enjoy, such as fishing and swimming.
3. Improves Sleep
After a day at the beach do you ever notice how the sea air knocks your kids out to sleep that night and you will probably have a better nights sleep that night too? Studies have even shown that coastal walkers sleep on average 47 minutes more per night than inland walkers, something that has been put down to the lulling effect of rolling waves. And we all know how important deep restorative sleep is- one of the key pillars of health.
4. Exercise Benefits
Being located near the beach has been proven to correlate with people engaging in higher levels of exercise. People are naturally drawn to walk along the shore, meet a friend for walk along the beach, run along the sand, and swim in the open waters. Exercise is a natural anti - depressant releasing endorphins which act as the bodies natural painkillers and mood elevator.
5. Skin Health Improves
The combination of minerals in the sea water can provide anti inflammatory effects for skin. People with psoriasis, eczema and dry skin in general can gain improvements in these skin conditions by soaking in the rich mineral sea water, helping the skin to heal and protecting the skin barrier.
Dr Anton Alexandroff of the British Association of Dermatologists says bathing in the sea may offer relief for people with eczema or dermatitis:
"Studies show that the magnesium in seawater may improve the barrier function of the skin, so it becomes less dry and rough. We also know that UVB light can improve symptoms of some skin conditions and it might be that we increase our exposure to daylight when we’re enjoying time at the coast."
6. Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D - the sunshine vitamin. Many of us in the UK have depleted levels of Vitamin D due to our climate and spending a lot of our time indoors. Vitamin D has many health benefits including strengthening our bones and teeth as well as helping to ward off illnesses such as influenza and can even aid overall heart health.
It has been suggested and reported that low levels of vitamin D in adults are linked to a worse prognosis should they develop covid 19, though there are several scientific trials in progress at present to test this widely reported theory, robustly.
If you have a deficiency in Vitamin D you are more likely to be not feeling your best - feeling a general sense of being unwell, tired and have aches and pains. If you live in the city and or work from home, not only may you benefit from a Vitamin D supplement but also simply getting out and spending time in the fresh air. We know the perfect place!
And the best part of this - is there’s no passport required.
All this and more is at your disposal right here on the North Coast of Ireland.
Based at our beautiful 5 star apartments located metres from the East Strand Beach Portrush, you have sea views and sea air on tap, and your pick of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland within minutes of your doorstep.
