While spending time outside is going to have some kind of benefit for everyone, many elderly people find that they are likely to spend less and less time outdoors as they get older. Now, the reasons for this are many. But once you’re able to learn about just what benefits can be had from spending time outside, you might find yourself wanting to get outside more or encouraging your loved ones in their assisted living communities to get outside and enjoy the fresh air more often.
To show you just how helpful this can be to all aspects of your health, here are three benefits of spending time outdoors for the elderly.
Better Sleep At Night
As people age, they often find that their bodies naturally want to go to sleep earlier and wake up earlier. However, many elderly people also find that they have a hard time getting restful sleep at night.\
While there could be medical reasons for why sleep seems to be elusive sometimes, one thing that can be done to help seniors get more consistent sleep is spending more time outside. When you’re outside, your body takes in the rays from the sun, which tells it to wake up. Then when the sun goes down, your body recognizes that the sun is gone and will instinctually start getting tired. But if you’re never spending time outdoors, your body can pick up these natural signals.
Fight Off Depression
Being outside can also have huge benefits on your mental and emotional health as well. In fact, it’s been found that elderly people who spend at least 30 minutes outside each day, regardless of what they’re doing out there, will have lower levels of depression being felt in their life. So if you’re already dealing with depressive symptoms as an elderly person, trying to spend more time outside during the day may help you to see some major improvements in this area of your life.
Improved Brain Function
For many elderly people, one of their biggest fears is that they will start losing touch with things in their minds. Luckily, being outside can also help with this part of your health, too.
When having spent time outside, studies have found that elderly people have shown to have improved memory and cognitive abilities. So if you’re able to spend time outside each day, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to fight off some of the side effects of aging as far as remembering things and having a sound mind goes.
If you’re looking to see improvement in all areas of your life as an elderly person, consider using the tips mentioned above to see how spending more time outside might be able to move the needle for you.
