Salt, Sand, And Sun: How Spending Time Beachside Impacts Your Body and Mind

Back-to-back winter storms making life miserable have always made us dream of taking a beachside vacation in the tropics. Nothing feels better than sitting back in your beach chair, burying your feet in the warm sand, and sipping on an ice-cold drink as you read about yet another snow day forcing everyone back home inside.

This begs the question: what is it about the beach that makes it such an attractive destination? While the answer may seem obvious, it turns out that your time on the beach can provide some significant benefits to both your physical and mental health.

Soak For The Soul - Mental Health Benefits From The Beach

The good news for people who suffer from anxiety is that spending time near the ocean is a natural remedy for a fretful mind. Research has shown that everything from the sound of crashing waves to the color of the water extending out into the horizon can help soothe a troubled soul.

This is caused by color associations that come naturally to the human brain. Blue hues are identified with feelings of peace, calm, and tranquility. Whether this is a pre-programmed response from humanity’s long relationship with the sea or a result of cultural forces remains to be determined.

On the other hand, the sound of crashing waves acts similarly to a white noise machine in that it de-stimulates your brain. Focusing on a repetitive external auditory stimulus that presents no danger to the listener relieves them of stressful thoughts of the future and allows them to live in the “now.” Couple this with a comfy high-end beach chair, and you have a recipe for the chillest afternoon you’ve experienced in years.

Even the sea breeze can help contribute to your state of mental tranquility. Beyond just providing some relief from the heat, ocean air contains ionized oxygen, similar to what you’d find in the mists emerging from a steep waterfall. Ionized oxygen may play a key role in preventing maladies like seasonal affective disorder, suggesting that the air we breathe can play a key role in shaping our moods.

How Sunkissed Skin Can Lead To Longevity

While reduced stress is beneficial enough for your body, spending time in and around the ocean provides perks for your physical health beyond simple mental clarity. Saltwater immersion can do wonders for your skin, and the time spent away from artificial lighting and in the sun can jumpstart many positive bodily functions that lie dormant in winter (and in the office).

Briny ocean water may not be pleasant to taste, but its mineral content can provide significant benefits to your skin. Saltwater is chock full of the compounds and vitamins you’d otherwise pay a premium for in specialty lotions and soaps: magnesium, sodium, calcium, sulphates, and potassium.

This mineral mix has a dual effect on your dermis. Your skin will absorb trace amounts of these elements, which create a similar effect to what you’d get with a high-priced skin treatment. The density of the water also acts as a mild abrasive, subtly scrubbing your skin of dead cells and leaving a much healthier top layer once you’ve dried yourself off.

This salty skin treatment is especially helpful for those suffering from skin conditions like psoriasis and eczema. The abrasion helps slough off damaged skin for psoriasis breakouts, while the water’s magnesium content can help reduce inflammation stemming from eczema.

Even if you choose to remain high and dry during your day at the beach, you can still reap some significant health advantages from your time in the sun. The negative impacts of modern life have been well documented: consistent exposure to artificial light and the countless minor stressors we experience daily all add up to some dire health consequences.

Days spent at the seaside give your body a welcome reprieve from these unhealthy habits and activities. Greater exposure to the sun has a major positive impact on your mood and allows your skin to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, a chemical essential for almost all bodily functions.

All this to say that there’s no reason to feel guilty about taking a day to soak in the sun at the beach - it’s medicine! So sit back in your comfy beach chair (complete with a sun shade and drink holder, of course), relax, and let the healing begin.