How the Ocean Heals Body, Mind & Soul
Everyone can attest that spending time by the water improves their physical, mental, and emotional health. To recharge your batteries and feel more alive, nothing beats a visit to the beach. It's one of the numerous attractions of beach vacations, and a big reason why we like to visit beaches all over the world. Having our toes buried in the sand and being caressed by the salty, foamy waves is an indescribable and delightful experience. You will feel refreshed and renewed on many levels after spending time by the beach. Sun, sea, and sand are the most accessible and all-natural therapeutic option available to humans.
People have known about the ocean's restorative and transformative powers and its enigmatic attraction to the coast since ancient times. Hippocrates, Galen, Plato, and Aristotle all suggested time spent immersed in the ocean for its restorative virtues, and this practice was also recommended by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians.
Now more than ever, researchers around the world are trying to pin down exactly how beneficial water is. Living near the coast has been linked to better overall health and well-being, according to previous research. It has been scientifically shown that spending time by or in the ocean puts us into a meditative state that improves our well-being and allows us to think more clearly, relax more deeply, generate more original ideas, and form deeper, more meaningful bonds with others. We're just getting started here.
The near-universal appeal of the color blue reflects our connection to water. People prefer to identify blue with traits like serenity, openness, depth, and wisdom, according to market research. Because water makes up around 70% of the human body, it would appear that we have a natural home in the ocean.
To name only a few of the ocean's many advantages:
Promotes Healthful Immunity
To a great extent, drinking ocean water can help boost the body's cellular immunity. Five to twenty percent more red blood cells and considerably more white blood cells are produced following a swim in the ocean. Those who suffer from diabetes, anemia, or a compromised immune system would benefit greatly from a regular seawater bath. The immune system is boosted by exposure to sea water, making it more effective against viruses, weak defenses, germs, and other diseases. Large quantities of seawater are employed in contemporary medical practice. Ocean water and blood plasma are 98 percent same. Apart from an extra iron molecule in our blood and an extra magnesium molecule in seawater, all the molecules are the same. To replenish depleted mineral stores, simply submerge in warm seawater for a few minutes. From chronic pain to cancers, marine-based drugs have been produced to address a wide range of medical conditions.
The skin, inflammation, and infection are all helped by this.
Since salt has antimicrobial properties, spending time in the ocean helps to quickly treat minor cuts, scrapes, sores, and irritated skin. Because of the large variety of vitamins and minerals found in salt water, it speeds up the healing process for wounds and reduces the inflammation and redness caused by acne and other skin conditions. In addition to the sun's rejuvenating effects, the mineral salts in the water work internally to repair damaged skin. Ulcers, lupus, and psoriasis are just some of the skin illnesses that benefit from the use of sea water, which can also be used to help prevent or alleviate their symptoms. The antibacterial and anti-infective properties of salt water are due in part to its ability to draw out toxins from the skin and the rest of the body.
Benefits Sleep
Time spent in the ocean can help alleviate insomnia caused by stress, physical energy, pain, anxiety, hormone imbalances, and sadness. Seawater has long been known to promote restful sleep by lowering blood pressure. Negative ions generated by the ocean's waves improve our bodies' oxygen absorption and help maintain a healthy level of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that regulates mood and stress. Along with the ocean, exposure to sunlight, fresh air, movement, and natural surroundings all contribute to resetting our internal clocks and facilitating a more restful night's sleep.
In other words, it helps with pain management.
Ocean water is a potent natural remedy for a variety of health problems, including arthritic and postoperative pain, poor circulation, and sore muscles. Recently, scientists have shown that sea salt can alleviate the pain and swelling associated with arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Being near the ocean has been demonstrated to improve mood, restore mental equilibrium, and lower the intensity of physical pain.
The Optimal Magnesium Intake
Magnesium is essential for the survival of every single human cell. Magnesium is one of the most common mineral deficiencies, and it is typically more effective to absorb the mineral transdermally (through the skin) than in pill form. Vitamin D, which is readily available from the sun's rays at the beach, enhances magnesium absorption. Magnesium is essential for muscular function, blood coagulation, and nutrition metabolism, among other things, and it is the fourth most abundant mineral in the human body. The skin can absorb beneficial nutrients from ocean water even after brief exposure.
How the Ocean Can Improve Your Mood:
Blue Mind and Ocean Meditation
Marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols has studied the ocean's special potential to create what he calls the "Blue Mind" in people. Blue Mind is a light meditation state characterized by contentment, happiness, and contentment with the present moment. According to Nichols, being near water has a plethora of beneficial effects on humans, including a calming and connecting effect, an increase in innovative and insightful thinking, and deep physical and emotional healing. The ocean has a hypnotic, meditative effect on us, luring us into a state of moderate concentration and mindfulness. Near water, our minds enter what Nichols calls a "soft interest," a condition of calm concentration. Benefits of this special state of awareness include stress reduction, alleviation of moderate anxiety, discomfort, and depression, enhanced concentration, and better sleep.
Relating to One's Roots
To be "grounded" is to believe that human beings evolved to have regular, physical touch with the Earth in its raw, unaltered state. Since the Earth has a negative charge, it helps counteract the positive electrons that might accumulate in our bodies in the form of free radicals. With the widespread use of Wi-Fi and mobile phones, as well as the ubiquity of electromagnetic waves, it is simple for a large number of positive electrons to accumulate in our bodies. Again, this has changed dramatically over the last few decades, despite the fact that humans are naturally inclined to spend time in the great outdoors. Most of our time is spent indoors, and even when we do venture outside, it is almost always with shoes on. While urban living exposes us to free radicals that deplete our natural energy, time spent by the ocean has the opposite effect, leaving us feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
In order to reconnect, disconnect first.
Everywhere we go, from our homes and workplaces to the streets of our cities, we are met with a barrage of sensory inputs. Even though we know how important it is for our minds to have leisure, we rarely get enough of it. Overstimulated brains and senses benefit from being near water. The ocean's white noise helps to reduce complexity in sound, making it ideal for blocking out background noise or focusing on a single sound. The visual environment is mellowed and muted as well, providing a clear view of the horizon devoid of the usual flashing, distracting barrage of images. The water provides a welcome mental break because there is less stimulation there. Our minds don't turn off, but they shift into a mode that's more concerned with openness, spontaneity, and simplicity.
Kindness, Unity, and Bonding
Nichols elaborates on how the water induces a special kind of wonder in humans. Feelings of awe and wonder make us reflect on the immensity of the world and our place in it, as well as our place within it. When we're in awe of anything, it strengthens our bonds with ourselves, the world, and the people we're with. It changes our focus from individual to communal well-being. Many of life's most romantic moments, as well as significant events, naturally occur near or on the sea. We do our communal mourning and communal living by the water. The ocean's unique ability to bring people together has been shown in studies to reduce ego, boost empathy and gratitude, and encourage philanthropy.
Eases Worry and Stress
Humans have an innate affinity for water because it has a calming effect on us. Ocean water has been shown to help those with anxiety and depression by providing a sense of calm and equilibrium. Research has shown that the harmonic frequency and wave pattern provide one of the most soothing sounds available to humans. Listening to your mother's heartbeat in the womb may be a pleasant memory because to this sound. The soothing sound of the water has the opposite effect on the stress hormone cortisol as loud noises like traffic and construction do, improving our health as a whole. Meditations set to the sound of the waves or depictions of the ocean have been demonstrated to have the same calming effect.
Ideas That Spark Creativity
We don't give our minds much time to relax and wander freely in our constantly active, screen-filled existence. However, when we do so, our minds shift into a different mode of operation. Daydreaming, imagination, recollections, insights, awakenings, and introspection are all connected to this mental openness. This style of thinking is crucial for innovation, and it is often the case that we suddenly have the insights and ideas that had escaped us while we were frantically racking our brains for the solution just a minute earlier when we switch off our active minds for a bit. The ocean doesn't make you want to turn off your brain; rather, it puts you in a relaxed condition where you're more open to making novel associations. Turning off in the ocean is like turning on a light switch; it allows us to recharge.
Excellent, Pure Pleasure
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, happiness is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself by going to the water. Natural elements, the laid-back vibe of the beach, and amenities shown to improve physical health all work together to boost spirits. We've learned that the simplest things in life are often the most rewarding. Spending time at the beach, whether it's playing in the waves, riding the currents, or just letting the white water touch our toes, basking in the sun, or enjoying long walks along the shore, all contribute to our sense of well-being and contentment. Sun-kissed skin, salty hair, and sandy soles are the perfect trifecta for a joyful return home following a day at the beach or a beach trip.
The ocean has real and significant positive effects on human health. Even before scientific evidence emerged, we knew they existed. Nowadays, spending time at sea is more crucial than ever. The water's soothing effects are a welcome relief from the pressures of daily life. These enormous saltwater bodies are overflowing with fascinating and amazing ways to nourish and nurture body, mind, and spirit.
