Pacifying plants THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Banchory’s leading integrated medical practitioner Dr Jennifer Sudder explains how spending time in nature soothes the sympathetic nervous system and can be the key to calm and general wellbeing in a busy world.
n the fast world we live in; with Imessages, a constant barrage of emails, and media alerts, it’s easy
to let our “fight or flight’ response – otherwise known as our Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – become overactive. This can leave us feeling on edge – affecting our ability to focus, feel calm, remember facts and, critically, sleep well. In the work I do, I often find that no matter whether the presenting problem is a mental health or gut issue, sleep is affected in one way or another. When this is remedied, it doesn’t just improve the symptom – it improves general wellbeing, energy levels and calmness. Often, the “microbiome” (the collection of thousands of bacterial cells in the gut) has become out of balance – from stress, antibiotic use or an unhealthy diet – and this “dysbiosis” can lead 62
to allergies, gut dysfunction and a reduction in mental health. But this isn’t a doom and gloom story. The solution is all around us. We are a nation living on a beautiful island, with oceans and birds and stories beneath its waves, as well as trees, grass and flowers. If we can reconnect with nature, we can help ourselves. Through the ages, going for a “constitutional” after eating a meal was considered the right thing to do. Taking time away from work on a Sunday to relax with family groups or to be creative was the norm. These activities encourage the balance of the SNS with its more calming counterpart, the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). There are lots of reasons we feel better when we spend time in nature. The rhythms and patterns in plants, ice
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