Sea And Health: An Inexhaustible Source Of Well-being

Sea and health are related. So much so that our brain reacts in a more positive way to this scenario: it feels more relaxed, its perception improves, creativity appears and achieves greater mental clarity. Few environments are as comforting as feeling the warm sand under our feet, the sound of the waves and the freshness of that salty breeze. 

Sailors, surfers and biologists always repeat the same thing: the sea has a charm, the ocean attracts, captivates and has a mysterious attraction for the human being almost since the beginning of time. This unfathomable expanse of blue water produces the most varied sensations. Sometimes, just being on the shore for a moment is enough to recharge and perceive how our mood improves.

It is enough to recall also the well-known practice of Victorian doctors towards their patients. All those people suffering from melancholy, tuberculosis or simple lovesickness were prescribed the same thing: sea air. Thus, beaches were for a long time that ideal therapeutic resource for both the wealthy elite and the poorest people. And it worked, of course it did. Because they improved the mood, because the sea ​​and health have a special bond that science continues to corroborate.

Sea and health: the therapeutic effect of aquatic environments

In 2011 an interesting study was carried out led by the department of sanitary architecture at the University of Sweden. It demonstrated something that surely we all intuited: aquatic environments generate well-being and have a positive impact on our health. In this way, both the sea … as well as rivers and lakes generate changes in our mind, in our brain and in our own body.

Such is the mystery and fascination towards these bluish scenarios that there is no shortage of authors determined to answer this enigma. One of them was the well-known marine biologist Sir Alister Hardy. According to this scientist, known for participating in one of the first expeditions to Antarctica, back in 1925, our body is “programmed” to react to environments that are beneficial to it.

When our species left the savannah, reached the shores and discovered the ocean, something changed in us. Suddenly, we had access to new foods, especially those rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain health and development. Also, the therapeutic effect of the sea, with its powerful stimuli, was able to create an early and very powerful bond. So much so that there is no shortage of work on the subject.

One of them is that of Dr Jenny Roe of Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. According to this work, being in contact with the sea produces a whole series of physiological responses. We release endorphins, the level of cortisol is reduced, we generate alpha waves in our brain …  That early contact of the first hominids in their relationship with the sea can leave an imprint on us that still persists, which reminds us of its benefits, its undeniable well-being.

The healing power of the ocean

Sea and health are related. The ocean generates what many scientists call “blue well-being” and it is summarized:

The blue mind

• Our brains react very positively to the sight of water. Seeing it, smelling it and feeling it offers the brain a state of absolute relaxation. This ideal state of calm favors the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, which increase our feeling of happiness.

• The sea also boosts our creativity, worries are reduced and we improve cognitive processes as basic as memory, attention …

Ideal for the respiratory tract

That salty breeze is a gift of well-being for our airways. It uncovers them, cleans the lungs, makes breathing easier and we also benefit from its antibiotic effect. The sea is ideal for people with asthma, allergies …

Connection and energy

Both the sound of the sea and the vision of these scenes dominated by movement, light and the panoramic view of the immensity favor the appearance of alpha waves in our brain. We enter a state of calm and the internal connection improves. Furthermore, according to a work published in the Journal of Complementary Medicine, it is the ocean air itself that contributes to this state of relaxation and personal connection.

Sea air is loaded with negative ions. These negative particles, as this work reveals, are generated above all in natural environments with water currents: the sea, rivers, waterfalls, etc. Its effect favors the production of serotonin, we enter a state of internal balance, so to speak, which in turn fills us with energy. Creativity, motivation, spirit to connect with ours, to socialize …

Nor can we forget something essential. Sea and health have a direct link because in these scenarios we have the possibility of absorbing vitamin D. As we know, this component is essential for a large number of vital processes. However, curious as it may seem, a large part of the population suffers from a deficiency in this unsaponifiable heterolipid. Therefore, let us not doubt it. If we have the possibility, we listen to our instincts, to that primitive voice that knows and understands that the sea is a good place to spend the day. It is worth it, it is worth the health.