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A Christmas tree is not only an ornament. Spruce or fir at home can help soothe the psyche and strengthen health, and in various ways.
- Contact with greenery brings various health benefits.
- Indoor plants also improve the condition of the body.
- Trees secrete oils that stimulate the immune system. A Christmas tree is a good way to strengthen family ties.
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
A Christmas tree at home reduces stress and lowers blood pressure
Norway spruce, silver spruce, Caucasian fir – for most of us, they are simply Christmas trees. The tradition of a Christmas tree at home was born in the XNUMXth century in Germany and spread over time to other countries. Today Poles buy several million Christmas trees every year. It turns out that green coniferous trees can do a lot for us.
More and more studies show that contact with the natural, green environment helps to maintain health – it reduces stress, improves the state of the psyche, lowers blood pressure and reduces pain. People who move to greener places benefit from health. In such an environment, the number of crime and aggression also decreases, and children have less trouble concentrating. In Japan, the tradition of Shinrin-yoku or “forest bath” – slow, relaxing walks surrounded by trees has even developed.
However, the benefits of nature can also be used at home, e.g. thanks to plants in pots. Researchers from Dalhousie University in a study involving 118 women even showed that a 20-minute contact with plants in the room reduced psychological stress. At the same time, more positive emotions appeared in the volunteers. In turn, the team from the University of Exeter noticed that plants placed in offices increase the feeling of happiness and by 15 percent. improve employee productivity.
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– We know from previous studies that plants can lower physiological stress, improve concentration and well-being. But this is the first real-world long-term experiment that shows that bringing plants into offices can improve employee well-being and make them happier at work, said Kenneth Freeman of Ambius.
The Christmas tree moisturizes the air and improves immunity
Green not only soothes the nerves with its friendly, natural look. Plants moisturize the air by evaporation, and produce oxygen during the day (although they usually consume it at night). But that’s not all. At the same time, they release volatile substances that can affect the human body. Scientists from the Japanese Nippon Medical School found that walking in the woods for up to 30 days increases the activity of natural killer (NK) cells belonging to the immune system, which kill damaged (e.g. cancerous) or virus-infected cells. This is probably due to volatile compounds secreted by trees called phytoncides. Researchers tested the effect of these substances on NK cells in the laboratory and, as it turned out, phytoncides strongly stimulated NK cells to function. The tradition itself is also important.
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A family trip for the Christmas tree and dressing it together have a chance to provide a lot of unforgettable moments and improve the mood on Christmas days. And when the children grow up and have a Christmas tree in their homes, the sight of the tree has a good chance of evoking warm memories from the early years of life.
A Christmas tree as a memory of childhood and a symbol of happiness
Similarly – joint, home-made Christmas decorations, which can teach children new skills. As, on the basis of his research, prof. Tamara Ansons from the University of Warwick, nostalgic memories have the ability to trigger a feeling of happiness.
– Recalling life experiences is often accompanied by the idealization of the past times and a sense of longing for the old days. Christmas is a perfect example of this. People remember their childhood with positive emotions, even if the reality could have been more ordinary – emphasizes the researcher.
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If someone has a house, on selected holidays, for example the first after the birth of a child, buy a tree with roots and plant it in the garden after the holiday season. It will act as another stimulus to recall memories and strengthen the family bond.
Natural Christmas tree – what to watch out for?
However, as the authors of a recent work published in the scientific journal “The BMJ” point out, when deciding on a natural Christmas tree, you need to remember some precautions.
For example, some people with allergies should be careful. Especially when children are present, branches and needles should also be considered. The twig, when it hits the child in the eye, may even damage the cornea, and the falling needles can reach the respiratory system if you are unlucky. That is why it is worth buying a tree as fresh as possible, making sure that it always has enough water and placing it in the coolest place in the room. At the same time, it is better to remember to regularly clean any needles that have fallen.
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If there are small children in the house, it is also better to avoid artificial decorations resembling candies and other delicacies, as well as decorations that are too small, which can easily find their way into the digestive system of a little person. The needles, however, do not fall off the artificial Christmas tree. Such a tree can also help create a festive atmosphere, although it will be deprived of many advantages of its live counterpart.
It is also worth remembering that synthetic Christmas trees are made of plastics, most often polyvinyl chloride, and substances such as phthalates or flame-retardant chemicals are added to them, which are not necessarily the best for health. With a bit of common sense, a live Christmas tree seems to be the best guest for Christmas.
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