If you love gardening as I do, you will know how good it is for you. The fresh air, exercise, home grown veg, sense of achievement... I have one to add to the list. You get more Alpha brainwaves.
Apparently there are four main brainwave states;
- Beta when we are consciously alert
- Alpha associated with relaxed mental awareness or reflection
- Theta linked to light sleep
- Delta when we are in deep sleep
Much of our waking time is spent in the Beta state with all the speed and intensity of modern life, but there is scientific evidence that people who have more Alpha brain waves have less anxiety. Less anxiety in turn can mean a stronger immune system. Alpha brainwaves are also linked to creativity and inspiration.
The repetitive, gentle aspects of gardening are perfect to induce that slightly ‘zoned out’ calmness that gets those Alpha waves going. Have you ever been gardening much longer than you thought because you were in your own little world? (Or is that just me?)
Just last week I had a real Alpha moment. There was something I'd been thinking about that I needed to resolve. After an hour or so of pottering in the garden I stopped for a cuppa and realised that I suddenly had absolute clarity. I hadn’t consciously been thinking about it but those Alpha brainwaves had allowed the answer to emerge.
I’ll keep taking the Vitamin G!
Minnie
Contributed by our gardening-mad Marketing Director Minnie Moll
