7 Ways A Beach Day Is Good For Your Health

It’s the most simple things in life that can sometimes feel like the hardest to understand. Doing something that makes you happy is good for you. It’s just that simple, right?

I have long considered myself a beach person. I don’t know why, but I have always been drawn to the ocean. I like to be near the water, the thought of the big blue sea out there makes me feel happy. Plus, it’s beautiful and very calming. But there’s more to going to the beach then just enjoying the sun on our skin and the sand in our toes.

It’s been proven that the elements of the beach can actually be good for your health and actually act as a healing place for different ailments.

In this post:

1. Visiting the beach will improve your mental health

Studies have shown that there are significant links between living in a coastal area and mental well-being. There are many reasons for this, but one of the top is that people living in a coastal area have a more active and outdoors lifestyle, visiting the beach often and taking part in outdoor activities.

While this is important for your physical health, it is also super important for your mental health, as these outdoor activities get you off your phones, laptops and computers and also act as a bit of a digital detox.

And everyone agrees that more time away from your devices and all the subconscious pressure and over-stimulation associated with social media, etc can only be a good thing.

8 Ways Travelling Is Good For Your Health

2. It will also help to decrease stress levels

As well as improving your mental health, research has also shown that regular trips to the beach are one of the best ways to relieve stress and symptoms of depression. Being at the beach actively helps your brain to relax, turn off and have some time to repair itself and unwind.

Learning How To Relax On A Mexican Island

3. It’s super good for your skin

It seems like skin is what everyone is focusing on in 2018, so this one is a no-brainer. Salt water from the ocean is full of anti-ageing minerals that help improve your skin’s elasticity, as well as helping to heal cuts and wounds faster. Spending time regularly in the ocean water is very beneficial to your skin’s health.

On the flip side though, if you are spending extended periods of time at the beach – especially in Australia’s harsh sun – make sure you are being super sun smart and slathering on that high SPF sunscreen to avoid getting burnt. Sunburn is extremely damaging to your skin and will quickly undo all that good work the ocean water did.

4. You’re getting your daily dose of Vitamin D

Everyone knows that Vitamin D is good for you, and the main way to soak up that Vitamin D is by spending some time outside in the sunshine. Our bodies need Vitamin D to help us absorb calcium and promote bone growth and healthy teeth. We naturally produce a little bit of this precious vitamin when we are in the sun, but if we don’t get enough sunshine we can start to feel sad and flat and it can have a big impact on your mood.

This is definitely the reason that I always book a sunny getaway in the middle of Melbourne’s grey and gloomy winter – I need to get that Vitamin D!

Beach Hopping in Santorini

5. The beach is good for your lungs

We all know the feeling. You step onto the beach, take a deep breath in, and all of a sudden it feels like your lungs are opening and you’re breathing deeply for the first time in ages. How good does that feel?!

Sea air contains ions, which calm your senses and can actually make you more cheerful, and the salt in the sea air containing these ions are super beneficial for your respiratory system.

6. Sand is a natural exfoliant

Sand is the beach’s natural exfoliant. It can helps remove dead skin cells from your body, leaving you feeling all soft and smooth. I’m sure we’ve all tried it before when we’re just sitting and chilling in the shallows.

Rubbing sand into dry skin (it works especially well on the soles of your feet) helps you revitalize all the skins and wake up the nerve endings in your feet. Your skin feels so smooth and happy afterwards. Removing the dead skin also helps the healthy skin live happily and promotes healthy skin life.

7. Blue is a very calming colour

Scientists and psychologists have long said that the colour blue has a calming effect on a person’s psyche. Some even believe that ocean therapy can be used to help treat mental illnesses such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Blue is also the colour that is often associated with peace, tranquillity and a feeling of calm.

A Guide To Gozo's Beaches

So what are you waiting for?

There are seven top reasons to make your next holiday and beach one and get to the ocean ASAP. And if you’re lucky to live near or within driving distance, why not take a weekend road trip out there for a little bit of a boost.

While it might not sound like much, spending even an hour out of your normal routine at the beach can make a huge difference to your overall well-being, and heal you in ways you never thought it could.

Check out more of our travel tips for your next adventure