It is amazingly easy in this fast world to find oneself locked in a long period indoors working from home or binge-watching their favorite shows. However, researchers have established that long periods indoors impact both the mind and the body. In this section, we discuss some of the impacts of staying indoors too much and how important it is to go outdoors.
1. Vitamin D Deficiency
Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D for your body. Vitamin D is very crucial in terms of bone health, immunity, and maintaining the right mood. The process of vitamin D formation takes place in the skin upon exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays of the sun. Vitamin D production decreases as a person spends more hours indoors, which raises the chance of deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to the condition of weakened bones, weakness in muscles, and mood disorders.
Vitamin D deficiency is more than a number in health statistics. Research proves that this vitamin leads to weakness, poor immune responses, and even osteoma Lacia or osteoporosis in severe cases among adults. In general, any person spending a long time indoors is sensible to check his or her vitamin D levels and see the need for supplements wherever it is advisable by the provider of health services.
2. The deterioration of mental wellbeing
Nature has always been used as synonymous with mental well-being. Nature has its own soothing effects and cuts down on stress, anxiety, and depression. This does not stay in the long run once someone goes indoors, and therefore it tends to increase stress and mental fatigue. According to studies done, it reduces cortisol level and boosts the mood relating to green space activities.
On the other hand, too long spent indoors can result in “cabin fever,” the feeling of restlessness and irritability, with even feelings of depression resulting from confinement. This is worse for anxious or stressed individuals. Furthermore, lack of sunlight affects serotonin, a neurotransmitter whose imbalance results in depression and low energy and irritability.
Limited Sleep Quality
Natural light is said to regulate the circadian rhythm, or the body’s internal clock, which basically sets time for sleeping and waking cycles. When a person stays under natural light for long periods, the rhythm becomes natural, making it easy for him to sleep and wake when the clock ticks. Failure to have adequate exposure to such light might result in discomfort in terms of the times when you feel sleepy as well as those times during which you are groggy.
Melatonin. The sleep hormone is produced as a response to darkness. Thus, people who stay indoors the whole day under artificial lighting might not produce enough melatonin. Resultantly, these people are unable to sleep well at night. People who are indoors most of the time complain that they are unable to sleep, have erratic sleeping, and lack energy. Sleep quality can disrupt mental acuity, mood, or even the immune system for a long time, therefore causing sleep-related disorders in the long run.
3. Weakened Immune System
Sunlight contributes vitamin D to the body, but its direct effects on immune health are immense. A certain level of vitamin D is required to function well in the system of immunity to fight infection and the risk of diseases. A person who mostly stays indoors and avoids daylight will be weaker in terms of his or her immunity over time, and as a result, more infections, colds, or other types of diseases tend to catch up with such a person.
Exposure to natural environments also enhances the immune system beyond vitamin D. Natural environments are replete with various microorganisms that help stimulate the immune system and increase immunity to diseases. Inactivity inside will make your immune system less adaptable and susceptible to both seasonal illnesses and chronic inflammation.
4. Decreased Physical Fitness
Outdoor conditions stimulate activity: walking, running, or just roaming about. If you cease visiting the outdoors, then moving physically becomes more likely to fall and develop a sedentary lifestyle. Proper activity of physical exercise keeps good health, muscle tone, and the metabolic system on an excellent footing. The greater you move, the smaller is your chance of being obese, losing muscles, and being unhealthy in respect of your cardiovascular system.
A sedentary lifestyle would also lead to stiffening of muscles and discomfort in joints since the indoor setting has no diversity as compared to the outdoor setting. After some time, a sedentary lifestyle will raise the risk of being overweight, developing diabetes, and having heart disorders. Outdoor activities such as short walks or stretches would ensure that one’s physical body is maintained and one maintains a healthy body, no weight gain, and reducing the risk of developing any chronic disease.
5.Low cognitive ability
Being in the natural environment has been considered to enhance focus, memory, and cognitive function. “Attention restoration theory” is a concept that was established on the idea that the mind recuperates from mental fatigue without much effort when it is engaged in a natural environment. Cognitive fatigue results from remaining indoors for too long with excessive use of screens for too long, which can easily impair memory, focus, and problem-solving abilities.
Further, heightened cognitive load and reductions in creativity and productivity have also been observed in students who were exposed less to outdoor experiences for the same time duration. Spending too much time indoors has resulted in a buildup of digital fatigue, causing it to be more difficult for them to relax or give attention and think deeply about things as well.
Conclusion: Balance
There is no such thing as ‘out of class time; there is always class time. Time outdoors needs to be utilized to develop both mental and physical well-being. With regard to vitamin D regulation, immune function facilitation, mood enhancement, and improving cognitive functions, there is much to look forward to with outdoor exposure. At minimum, make time every day to spend as little time outdoors as possible or spend ample time in some type of green space while trying to enjoy all nature has in store for its citizens. If most of your time is indoors, add little steps such as an early morning walk, gardening, or sitting by an open window with sunlight exposure to your daily routine.
The regular and timely spending of outdoor time has been proven to bring improved health outcomes, higher levels of mood, and quality of life. Such simple yet potent steps can lead to enhanced overall well-being and the return to nature.
