We often wonder about the things going on in our lives and whether those things are good for us or not. If you have wondered if camping is good for you then you’re not alone.
So, is camping good for you? Camping is good for your health, your mood, and your spirit. While camping you can exercise to improve your health, you can relax to improve your mood, and you can camp with loved ones to improve your spirit.
Here are 14 reasons why camping is good for you
By the way, If you are in the market for a new tent, then you should click here to see the one I recommend on Amazon.
1. Camping can improve your sleep
Sleep is something that we can all use more of. When you hear that you are supposed to get 8-9 hours of sleep per night do you laugh? Most of us are lucky if we can get 6 hours in one night. Busy schedules and commitments diminish how much sleep we get.
If you are camping then odds are that you have decided to take some time away from those busy schedules and commitments, good for you. Camping is a time that you can finally get your circadian rhythm back on track. The circadian rhythm is basically your body’s sleep and wake time in a 24 hour period. Did you know that darkness is supposed to mean go to sleep for our bodies?
Modern lighting has faded our natural tendencies to sleep when it’s dark outside. However, when you go camping there is probably going to be a lot less artificial lights to keep you awake at night. The darkness of the night helps tremendously with falling asleep and staying asleep. Plus, the sun rising helps naturally wake you up. The sun is the best alarm clock we have. There is no doubt that sleep is an essential function. Camping can improve your sleep and thereby improving your health.
2. Camping helps up your Vitamin D intake
Vitamin D is an essential micronutrient that is very good for our bodies. For most micronutrients, we must get them from the food we eat. However, Vitamin D is unique because your body can actually get it from the sun. It’s quite a complicated process, but all you have to do is get adequate sunshine. When you go camping outside you are able to easily achieve this.
3. Camping gives you time to stimulate your mind with reading
Reading is an activity that does nothing but good for our minds. Reading is thought to increase intelligence and brainpower. Many of the most successful human beings on the planet read every single day, and while we all might know that reading comes with all of these benefits, we still have difficulty fitting some time for reading into our lives.
Camping offers this opportunity for us to catch up on some reading since time seems to be more abundant when we are camping. There are fewer distractions while camping compared to our normal daily hectic lives. Do your brain some good and read a book on your next camping trip.
4. Camping is a great time to exercise
Exercise isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when you are camping, but it’s the perfect time to get some exercise in. There are ample amounts of opportunities for exercise while camping. The most popular option is probably hiking. Walking on its own is very healthy for our bodies, but hiking takes it up a notch and is usually more strenuous.
Additionally, in campgrounds, it is easy to walk, run, do yoga, and bodyweight exercises. Outside of the campground activities like swimming, rock climbing, and biking are all good options for exercise. So while camping is a time for relaxation, it can also be the perfect time to work up a sweat and better your body through exercise.
5. Camping helps you breathe more oxygen
We have all felt that moment when you first arrive at your camping destination and then take a big breath of fresh air. It feels much different than the air we breathe if we live in a large city. That’s because it is if you are camping near lots of trees. Trees help produce the oxygen that we love to breathe. More oxygen means a happy and healthier you.
6. Camping allows you to spend time with friends and family
How often do we really get some time to spend with our friends and family, and of those times how often is there something else distracting us? When you go camping with friends and family, it can help strengthen your bonds with each other. Few other activities in life release us from distractions and allow us to do so.
It can be hard enough for everyone to get the same time off in order to go camping, but if you can manage to get everyone together on a camping trip then take full advantage of it. Going camping will build memories and bonds that you can cherish for years to come.
7. Camping gives you time to meditate
Whether you are an avid meditator or just someone curious and interested in trying meditation, camping could be your best bet. Most often meditation simply requires a somewhat quiet environment where you can be alone with your thoughts and allowed to focus on just one thing.
What better place to meditate than when you are in the great outdoors with the natural sounds and smells of trees, plants, rivers, lakes, streams, birds, etc. The benefits of meditation are often loudly touted, and a lot of the most “successful” people in the world say that meditation is one thing that has helped get them to the top.
8. Camping reduces stress
All of the other reasons on this list of why camping is good for you can probably relate to reducing stress. Stress is a feeling of emotional or physical tension. Today, stress levels are higher than they have ever been in history. Why is this? Well, it’s a very complicated matter, but many like to associate it with the internet and always being “connected” to everything at all times.
We all need to find ways to deal with our stress or else it can lead to other more serious issues. Stress is a normal part of life and a little bit of stress is healthy. It is when our stress levels build up so far and we have no mechanism for reducing it, that it becomes something more serious. Camping and many activities associated with camping can help reduce and manage stress.
9. Camping can help you socialize with others
Humans are social animals, we require some socialization with other humans in order to keep ourselves sane. However, in today’s modern age socialization has been slipping off as we spend more time in front of screens. Phone screens, computer screens, tv screens, tablet screens, etc. Camping can be a time to break away from that new norm and get back to our roots. Socialization is nothing but good for us, just like we need alone time, we also need social time.
You can socialize with your own family, your own friends, your partner, or even some complete strangers. Camping can be the perfect time to meet new people. Try talking to your camping neighbors next time you are on a camping trip, 9 times out of 10 they are going to be friendly and reciprocate your friendliness.
I talked a lot about sharing your campsite in this article and how doing so could offer some benefits for you. Sharing a campsite with some complete strangers could be one of the best camping decisions you could make.
10. Camping can help you eat healthier
Camping can allow you the opportunity to eat healthier, but you have to realize that opportunity for yourself. Since you won’t have a refrigerator, freezer, microwave, toaster, etc. It might be tempting to bring mainly prepackaged foods with you on a camping trip. If you want to eat healthier then this would be a mistake. Plan in advance and create healthier meals while camping.
There are many healthy camping recipe ideas available out there if you need some. Once you get to your campsite with the food you brought then that is it. There is no sneaking into the pantry for a pastry, there is no midnight drive-thru. In a way, it forces you to eat healthy if that is all that you brought with you, but also in another way, you will be grateful to yourself.
In some small way, a camping trip with healthy food could be a cleanse that motivates you to continue eating healthy when you get back home. There is no denying that eating a healthier diet is good for you, and camping can help you with that.
11. Camping can help you truly reflect on what’s important
To reflect is to think deeply and carefully about something. When you are camping you are given this opportunity since the great outdoors is often a calm and peaceful place. It is amazing that simply changing the environment around you can influence you to reflect on what is important in your life. It is time that we often don’t get at home, at work, or at school. If you take advantage of the opportunity to reflect while camping you can come home with a different mindset that has been shaped by your individual reflection.
12. Camping improves your Serotonin and Melatonin production
Serotonin and Melatonin are both hormones that our bodies produce. Both of them are important for various bodily functions, and both are important in their own ways. In layman’s terms, Serotonin is known as our body’s happiness drug. Meanwhile, Melatonin is known as the darkness drug that helps us get a good night’s sleep.
So, how does camping help improve your serotonin and melatonin production? It’s quite simple really. Sunlight helps our brain produce Serotonin, and when we camp we often get a lot of sunlight since we are outside for a long time. Then, when the sun sets everything gets really dark when you are out camping because there aren’t any city lights, streetlights, lamps, etc. that produce artificial light. This increased darkness helps our brains produce Melatonin and thus helps us get to sleep faster and have a more restful sleep.
13. Camping helps you overcome small challenges
Our daily lives have become relatively easy and convenient compared to the generations that have come before us. It is these creature comforts that we take advantage of every day. When you go camping you will often lose a lot of those comforts and you are forced to adapt and overcome.
Seemingly small problems we encounter while we are camping help us become better problem solvers and help us realize how good our daily lives really are. Think about it, being forced to boil water so that it is potable to drink is a small inconvenience that we must overcome in order to survive. In our daily lives, we have pretty much continuous access to safe filtered water. When we lose that creature comfort, it makes us realize how important and special that really is.
14. Camping is something that isn’t a huge financial strain
Did you know that a lot of stress is linked to financial matters? So it is easy to say that activities that are easy on the wallet (or purse) are good at not causing us a lot of stress. If you go camping on your next vacation, you would be surprised at how little you need to spend in order to have a really fulfilling vacation.
In fact, I wrote a full post with 17 reasons why you should consider going camping as your next vacation. So in addition to all of the previous benefits that camping has to offer you, it is also accessible to almost anyone since camping can be done for very little money. Often times the most expensive part of camping is the gas it takes you to get there, but in many areas of the country, you don’t really need to go all that far in order to find somewhere to camp.
This is because the United States has over 400 national parks, 560 national wildlife refuges and nearly 250 million acres of other public lands. Odds are that there is some public land near you that you can go camping on. In addition to that, states have many acres of land managed as state parks. If that’s not good enough for you, there are numerous privately-owned campgrounds. There really is no way that camping is not a reasonable distance from pretty much anywhere.
If you really need to go camping on a budget then consider going minimalist camping and camping for free in National Forests. National Forests offer dispersed camping in many areas of the forest that are not developed. The best part is that dispersed camping is free of charge in National Forests. If you are curious about dispersed camping in any National Forest then click here to find a guide I wrote that gives you information on dispersed camping in every National Forest in the United States.
Related Questions:
Is sleeping in a tent good for you?
Sleeping in a tent can be good for you if you are able to sleep comfortably and warm. The way a tent lets in light allows for you to sleep well when its dark outside and naturally wake up with the rising sun.
Does camping make you happy?
Camping can make some people happy. You have to be the kind of person that enjoys the outdoors and some of the activities associated with it in order for camping to make you happier. Camping isn’t for everyone, but those that do enjoy it can gain a lot of happiness.
My Favorite Camping Gear
- Air Mattress: click here
to check out my favorite on Amazon. - Tent: click here to see my favorite tent available on Amazon.
- Sleeping Pad: click here to check out the one I love on Amazon.
- Sleeping Bag: click here to see the one I recommend on Amazon.
- Camping Stove: click here to see the best camping stove on Amazon.