Trees help reduce mental stress

Stroke is a leading cause of disability and death in Bangladesh. The best way to help prevent a stroke, however, is to eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and avoid smoking and drinking alcohol. These lifestyle changes can reportedly reduce the risk of problems like stroke. Scientists have recently revealed another aspect of stroke prevention. A team of researchers in Spain claimed that living close to nature greatly reduces the risk of stroke. The research shows that people who live within 300 meters of a forest or dense vegetation have a 16 per cent lower risk of stroke.
But why is that? Experts say that the nature's approach helps maintain good physical and mental health in a number of ways. It is especially important to have plants around us. It maintains good mental health and reduces stress. Besides, if there is a garden nearby, people's interest for walking also increases, which keeps us in good health. If we have more green places, we will experience less pollution. Monsoon is here. If we have understood the importance of green trees, we should cut down fewer trees and plant many more of them.

Ashikujaman Syed,
Research Assistant,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com