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It is a well documented fact that being in natural areas is very beneficial to humans. It lowers depression, boosts the immune system, resets your circadian rhythm, and much more, so it's only safe to assume that spending the entire night out there would be even more beneficial. To find out more about the benefits of sleeping outdoors, read on...
Discover the many health-boosting benefits of a night spent outdoors—and how to reap them with the right sleep gear from Sea to Summit
N.A.C. Note: This article has been edited to alleviate some of the advertising of brand name products by the author.
Think back to the waning hours of your last backpacking trip: how did you feel? A little footsore, maybe. A little grimy, definitely. But also refreshed, invigorated, and relaxed? That blissed-out feeling so familiar to anyone who’s spent time sleeping under the stars is no coincidence. And it’s not just a simple function of escaping work stressors for a few days. Scientists have been accumulating evidence for decades now, pointing to the many health benefits associated with an immersive outdoor experience. Spending time in nature—especially several days or more—is incredibly good for human well-being.
Here’s a closer look at three ways your nights on trail are supercharging your health, plus how to outfit with the right gear to realize these natural gains.
Sleeping outdoors resets the body clock.
Our bodies are primed to follow the sun—we wake up when it rises and get sleepy when it sets. But modern life, with its electric lights and the glow of TV screens and smartphones, allows us to distance ourselves from the natural light-dark cycle and stay up much later than our ancestors probably did. It turns out that’s not so great for health: this shifted sleep timing has been linked with worse cognitive performance, daytime sleepiness, mood disorders, obesity, and diabetes, caused by complex changes in our hormones.
But studies have shown that camping can quickly shift the body’s circadian rhythms (aka the body clock) to match our natural cycles. In a 2013 Current Biology study, subjects went camping for a week in Colorado, where they were exposed to four times the intensity of light as they were at home. By the end of the week, their circadian rhythms were back in sync with day and night, with their levels of melatonin (a key sleep hormone that promotes drowsiness) peaking hours earlier than before. This effect continued even after they returned home. A follow-up paper in 2017 found that camping for just a weekend still significantly shifted subjects’ circadian rhythms closer to natural light-dark cycles (just not quite as much as the weeklong trip).
Getting dirty makes you physically healthier.
Even the tidiest among us end up with dirt under their nails after a few days in the wild—and that’s a good thing. For one, direct physical contact with the ground—also called grounding or earthing—is connected to surprising health benefits. The idea is that skin contact—through, say, walking barefoot or stretching out on the sand—connects you to free electrons naturally found on the Earth’s surface. This, in turn, regulates the body’s biomechanical systems. The science on grounding is still emerging, but a Journal of Environmental and Public Health review found evidence that it contributes to better sleep, reduced stress, and lowered inflammation.
What’s more, a common and benign soil bacterium called Mycobacterium vaccae could also be affecting human health. Intriguing research has demonstrated that exposure to the organism has anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory effects, and a 2021 Frontiers in Physiology study on mice suggests that M. vaccae helps protect against stress. It all makes that dirt-underneath-the-nails thing sound downright attractive.
Time outdoors boosts your brain.
A long day in the modern world—with all its beeping notifications, honking horns, and pinging cellphones—can make anyone feel frazzled. Why? The neuroscience on distraction tells us that being forced to shift our attention frequently depletes the prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain in charge of complex thinking, like working memory, self-control, and decision-making. The good news: piles of studies have shown that spending time in nature restores that prefrontal cortex, recharging the brain to full power. Scientists see this effect after less than an hour outdoors, but some research suggests that being out longer (like a three-day backpacking trip) delivers even bigger benefits. As if you needed a reason to get out more.
The Human Need for Sleep—and How to Get It
A night under the stars is unequivocally good for you—but you won’t get the full effect if you’re tossing and turning all night. Our brains and bodies need a stretch of uninterrupted slumber every night to function their best. It only takes one or two bad nights to feel truly rotten during the day, but there’s a lot more at stake than that: sleep plays a critical role in cognitive function and affects nearly every body system. Sleep deprivation is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic imbalances, lower immune system function, and problems with thinking and memory.
Getting quality shut-eye depends on a number of factors, from your own circadian rhythms to light exposure to what you ate and drank that evening. But comfort is a huge part of the equation: being too hot or too cold, laying on a too-hard or too-soft sleeping surface, or using the wrong kind of pillow can all derail your ability to drift off. So when you’re snoozing outdoors, it pays to equip yourself with a high-quality sleep system.
Reap the Benefits of Outdoor Sleep with Sleep Gear
Sea to Summit describes an outdoor sleep system—a sleeping bag, liner, sleep mat, pillow, and shelter—as “layers” that provide comfort and versatility, just like clothing layers do on a hike. You want pieces that maximize temperature regulation, keep you dry, and give you the freedom to move.
Presented by Sea to Summit for Backpacker MagazineN.A.C. NEWS
(Sunday, March 24, 2024)
Good Morning,
This past Friday, NAC guided a short, but beautiful and fun hike in Hamilton, Ontario. Being only 8kms long, it didn't take long to finish this hike, but it did give us much time to stop and enjoy the beautiful Upper and Lower Punchbowl waterfalls. The Devil's Punchbowl is one of Ontario's most incredible locations with an incredible 121 foot waterfall that pours down in front of a beautifully multi-coloured wall of Limestone. You can visit Niagara Adventure Club on Facebook to view many stunning photos of the location, and photos of all our past and upcoming events.
We only have a few more events before we head of to Pennsylvania to complete 70kms of The Appalachian Trail. This grueling multi-day hike will take us through Michaux State Forest. Here we will cover 70km of the trail while conquering 6000 feet of elevation gain over 4 days. As it is NAC's first visit to the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Mountains, we are very eager to get this expedition underway.
Next weekend is Easter weekend, and Niagara Adventure Club will be hosting another Rock On Indoor Rock Climbing event. As always, first time attendees will get a free climbing pass and a free climbing lesson supplied by NAC. Then join us 10 days afterwards at Fireman's Park in Niagara Falls, ON to see the magnificent solar eclipse. It has been 45 years since this event has last passed over Southern Ontario, and it won't happen again until 2044. So pack a cooler full of (non-alcoholic) beverages and snacks, grab a chair and join us in the park to witness this extremely rare event.
And finally, if you haven't yet, GET YOUR SPOT FOR THE GROS MORNE EXPEDITION!
Seriously, Gros Morne is the chance of a lifetime. This incredible landscape offers terrain, views, and wildlife like no other. And I mean it, there are species of wildlife that have evolved on the Island that exist no where else in the world. With unmarked trails, we will rely on our keen navigational skills to traverse a completely untamed territory. Permits for this area are very rare, so take advantage of this very unique opportunity. We have a permit for 12, with only 6 spaces remaining. You WILL regret missing this opportunity.
That's all the news for this week. As always, stay safe, and happy adventuring!
Lenny Burch