There’s Something in the Air

I’m on vacation at the beach this week with immediate and extended family, and I am loving every minute of it! Hence, the picture I use for my blog. I always feel better physically and emotionally when I’m at the beach, and I can sit for hours on the beach with the warmth of the sun on my body, the breeze from the ocean, and hearing the sounds of the waves hiting the shore.

But did you know that there’s some scientific evidence why many people feel better at the beach? It’s negative ions. Negative ions are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Like ocean and beaches and mountains. Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.

In an article published on webMD and a few other internet sites, they state that these are a few of the reasons we see negative-ion generators being sold in stores and all over the Internet, but do they really work as well as antidepressants? Can they also relieve allergies byfiltering out dust mites and dander? It’s too early to tell for sure, but that’s not to say there is not some sound science behind the concept.

Ions are molecules that have gained or lost an electrical charge.  They are created in nature as air molecules break apart due to sunlight, radiation, and moving air and water. You may have experienced the power of negative ions when you last set foot on the beach or walked beneath a waterfall. While part of the euphoria is simply being around these wondrous settings and away from the normal pressures of home and work, the air circulating in the mountains and the beach
is said to contain tens of thousands of negative ions–much more than the average home or office building, which contain dozens or hundreds, and many register a flat zero. “The action of the pounding surf creates negative air ions and we also see it immediately after spring thunderstorms when people report lightened moods,” says ion researcher Michael Terman, PhD, of Columbia University in New York.
 
In fact, Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. “The best part is that there are relatively no side effects, but we still need to figure out appropriate doses and which people it works best on,” he says.

Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy,” says Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C. “They also may protect against germs in the air, resulting in decreased irritation due to inhaling various particles that make you sneeze, cough, or have a throat irritation.”
 
And for a whopping one in three of us who are sensitive to their effects, negative ions can make us feel like we are walking on air. You are one of them if you feel instantly refreshed the moment you open a window and breathe in fresh, humid air.”You may be one of them if you feel sleepy when you are around an air-conditioner, but feel immediately refreshed and invigorated when you step outside or roll down the car window,” Howard tells WebMD. “Air conditioning depletes the atmosphere of negative ions, but an ion generator re-releases the ions that air conditioners remove.”

So next time you go to the beach or mountains and you instantly feel better just being there, know that there are positive things happening to your body because of negative ions! Cool, huh?