20-minute walk in park can treat stress, researchers claim

People admire trees in bloom in Greenwich Park
PA

A 20-minute stroll in the park is one of the best ways to beat stress, according to new research.

Spending 20 to 30 minutes in surroundings that provide a “sense of nature” was found to lower stress hormones by about 10 per cent.

Dr MaryCarol Hunter, who led the research at the US University of Michigan, suggested doctors should prescribe time outdoors – or “nature-pills” – to patients suffering from anxiety and other stress-induced issues.

“You don’t have to travel to the wildlands. Getting out of an office block and sitting next to a tree can be enough,” said Dr Hunter.

“For the greatest payoff, in terms of efficiently lowering levels of the stress hormone cortisol, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature.”

The benefits continue to increase after half an hour, but at a significantly lower rate, according to the study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

Non-medical treatments – or social prescribing – now form a key part of the UK government’s long term health plan.

In September last year, health secretary Matt Hancock said he wanted to see the “balance shifted” from drugs to social activities to improve the nation’s health.

Then in January 2019, the NHS announced that within five years, over 2.5 million more people will benefit from social prescribing. Provisions will include the hiring of 1,000 trained social prescribing link workers by the end of 2020/21.

Along with outdoor walking, social prescriptions now include Bollywood dance classes, cookery lessons and gardening

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