There are many studies that suggest that being in nature is good for your health, so it is logical that sleeping under the stars is too. But if you are not a person subject to the campsite, are you missing?
“Like most sleeping things, there is a lot of personalization involved,” said Dr. Jennifer L. Martin, spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and former president of his board of directors. “What helps a person to sleep well may not work for everyone.” However, there seems to be real evidence that a night (or three) in nature can help both your body and your mentality.
Why some people sleep well outside
Aside from housing without housing, Martin thinks that there are two main reasons for which some people have the impression of sleeping very well outside. The first is that many of the factors that disturb our rest in a normal sleep environment – things like smartphones, televisions and laptops – have been removed from the equation. When you are in the desert, things like electricity and good wifi are generally limited, and you are in a place “calm, cool and comfortable”, she says. “All factors that can benefit sleep.”
Second, people who find themselves sleeping outside are often on vacation. “Global stress levels tend to be lowered,” she says, “which can lead us to be more relaxed and allows us to fall asleep more easily and sleep more deeply.”
There is also proof that spending time outside in general promotes better quality of sleep.
Sleeping outside can reset your body clock
Nature can reset our circadian rhythm, the 24 -hour natural clock of the body, helping us synchronize our body with the natural rise and fall of the sun. This ensures that we can maintain healthy and dark cycles.
Related sleep stories
“Human sleep has changed a lot with the advent of artificial lighting,” explains Martin. Before that, one of our main sources of exposure to light beyond the sun was fire. Although a campfire is always an artificial shape of light, the hot yolks and the reds of its flames are less disturbing for our waking up sleep cycles than the bright and cold blue lights emitted by computers, televisions and fluorescent bulbs.
Disturbing blue wavelengths can wreak havoc on the internal body clock, even eliminating melatonin production – a hormone that helps regulate our circadian rhythm. By sleeping outside, we limit these illuminated snooze-lumberbatters and allow melatonin to occur naturally while we are based. The morning sunlight then maintains our bodies in balance, identifying the production of serotonin – the hormone “feeling good” – to start the day.
Creation of the right external sleep environment
“Noise, light and temperature – all these things definitely come into play when you sleep outside,” explains Martin, “as when you are in your family environment.”
For the best sleep night, Martin recommends considering what relaxes you and makes you comfortable when you plan a night under the stars. If you are staying in a campsite, remember to book a place that is removed from the roads, so that you are not dealing with constant headlights. Nature sounds can be much more soothing than artificial sounds like televisions and traffic horns, but bring ear caps in case the noisy neighbors tend to keep you up. Check that you have an appropriate sleeping bag and enough layers for adequate heat and have a comfortable surface to sleep. “I bought my son, who is a tall outdoor man, a very good sleeping pad [which provides padding and thermal insulation beneath a sleeping bag] For the campsite, “she said.” He told me what difference it makes. “”
The ideal sleep point must be flat and level, far from the wind and the branches that fall possible, and out of the line of water drainage trails. When it comes to obtaining appropriate ZZZs, comfort and safety are essential.
Consider glamping
“If the idea of ​​sleeping outside will stress you, it thwarts the potential advantages,” explains Martin.
An alternative to spend the night in a tent (or even sleeping outdoors) is glamping, which combines the advantages of being outside with many comforts of the house. Think of furnished canvas tents or yurts, appropriate beds, electricity and heating and / or air conditioning. “You can have this experience of sleep in nature without giving up many comforts of creatures that many people liked and appreciated.”
Glamping offers a kind of common ground for people who are not entirely ready for “rough” but who want to take advantage of the many advantages of nature. “You always wake up in the morning and go out, breathe fresh air, and see beautiful landscapes and trees and all these good things,” explains Martin.
The most important factor: a good night’s sleep
Although breathing in the outside air is generally advantageous, things like forest fires (which can release the dangerous smoke from fine particles) and allergens in the environment can do more harm than good. Whether we slept outside or become comfortable in our beds, that we sleep a good night should be our main goal, explains Martin.
The advantages of a good night’s sleep are countless. “Obtaining the right amount of coherent sleep is probably the best way to avoid chronic health problems and maintain good mental health. It’s really good for immune systems, reduces inflammation and helps regulate blood pressure. ” Our moods are often better, just like our relationships with other people.
Most adults need seven hours or more sleep to maintain our physical and mental health. It is also important to have a coherent sleep schedule. “It doesn’t need to be perfect, but you should go to bed in an hour of the same time every night,” says Martin. “You should get up almost at the same time,” give or take an hour.
Add the many health benefits associated with being outside, and it is a win-win situation.
“Spending time in nature is so good for us in general,” explains Martin.
The bedding under the stars is not only by speaking these advantages, but this also allows us to recover our body and our mind in balance.
This story is part of popular sciences Ask us anything seriesWhere we answer your most bizarre and burning questions, from the ordinary to the wall. Do you have something you always wanted to know? Ask.
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