6 Reasons Why the Ocean is Good for You.
We all love a trip to the seaside, and we all feel the benefits of filling our lungs with fresh sea air while wandering along golden sand and feeling the salty spray of a wave on our face. A holiday near the ocean is highly beneficial for both body and mind, but why is that? And why are North Devon beaches so special? The ocean is good for you.
Ocean Waves are Good For You
Even a quick trip to the beach makes us feel better; the gulls on the air and the waves breaking against the shore. The sound of the sea is therapeutic. The white noise of waves breaking on the shore or rocks helps to relax our brains and helps stimulate the production of chemicals in our brain, including feel-good chemical serotonin and dopamine. This is according to William Dorfman, of Nova Southeastern University, Florida.
Connecting with the Earth
Walking barefoot along the sand creates a great connection with the Earth and its roots. Our feet have many nerve endings, linked with specific body parts and organs (if following reflexology). A long walk along the shore is very beneficial, physically exfoliating and massaging the feet, but also the additional holistic effects on the whole body.
Sunlight
When you go on an ocean holiday, even here in the UK, you get plenty of vitamin D from exposure to sunlight (keep you skin protected). Sunlight is really beneficial for the human body, it triggers the production of vitamin D that boosts the immune system and helps with calcium absorption, essential when we grow older.
The Blue Ocean is Good for You
The colours of the ocean and the sky, deep blue and lush turquoise, colours which are associated to open spaces and wide horizons, are said to inspire quietness and tranquillity. After the stress of the last couple of years, we can all do with a bit of this. This is our ‘Blue Planet’, if we take care of it, it will always take care of us. This study was conducted by the University of British Columbia, which analysed the effects of the colours on 600 people between 2007 and 2008.
Ocean Bioclimate is Good for You
The University of Milan, researching climatotherapy, has been studying the effects of bioclimates on people. An ocean climate, particularly characterised by strong ventilation and intense ultraviolet radiation, is extremely good for the respiratory tract and associated diseases. The bioclimate of a seaside region is sedative, calming and may even help in the recovery from some diseases, including heart attack, allergies and even depression.
Life Giver
Mythology from all parts of the world incorporate water, oceans and seas, as one of the most important symbols of mankind, of all humans. We link it to the very origins of our species, we have many rituals attributed to it, life and death rituals across the world. It is life-giving in every way; without water we would not exist. We bathe in it and we relax when water is near.
North Devon is Good for You
North Devon is home to a unique UNESCO Biosphere, an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB), and has now been announced as a World Surfing Reserve, the only one of its kind in the UK and the only cold-water Reserve in the world. It is also home to the best beach in England and some of the best beaches in the world (Woolacombe Sands, as voted by the TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Awards).
All imagery used are of North Devon beaches – Woolacombe Sands, Saunton Sands & Croyde Bay.