{"id":146694,"date":"2025-05-31T11:37:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T11:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/146694\/"},"modified":"2025-05-31T11:37:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T11:37:11","slug":"sea-therapy-offers-mental-health-benefits-for-summer-beach-travelers-experts-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/146694\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea therapy offers mental health benefits for summer beach travelers, experts say"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"speakable\">With <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">summer travel<\/a> kicking off in full swing, many Americans are seeking sunshine and waves.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable\">Aside from enjoying rest and relaxation, beachgoers will also be reaping the mental-health benefits of &#8220;sea therapy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at NYU <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Langone Health<\/a> in New York City, told Fox News Digital that &#8220;sea therapy is a real concept.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/airbnb-deploys-anti-party-technology-memorial-day-fourth-july-weekends\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AIRBNB DEPLOYS &#8216;ANTI-PARTY TECHNOLOGY&#8217; FOR MEMORIAL DAY AND FOURTH OF JULY WEEKENDS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The\u00a0beach\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/healthy-living\/mind-and-body\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allows for mindfulness<\/a> because it facilitates being more present when you are watching the ocean,&#8221; said Gallagher, &#8220;as it is repetitive and allows for greater connection to the present moment while keeping us engaged.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She added, &#8220;It can also be an escape from our busy lives and can allow us to see into the distance, which can be compelling and relaxing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/spring-break-fort-lauderdale-florida-college-students-beach_04.jpg\" alt=\"Spring breakers on the beach in bikinis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Sea therapy helps beachgoers benefit from stress reduction, improved mood and attention restoration. (Julia Bonavita\/Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher said that &#8220;sea therapy&#8221; is often referred to as thalassotherapy or blue space therapy. It taps into the healing properties of coastal environments.<\/p>\n<p>The rhythmic motion of water can help regulate Americans\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/nervous-system-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nervous systems<\/a> and supports cognitive restoration.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/travel\/popular-beach-destination-requires-tourists-book-spots-app-website\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>POPULAR BEACH DESTINATION REQUIRES TOURISTS TO BOOK SPOT VIA APP OR WEBSITE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Spending time at the\u00a0beach\u00a0can have profound effects on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mental well-being,<\/a>&#8221; said Gallagher.<\/p>\n<p>Benefits can include stress reduction, mood boost, cognitive restoration and improved sleep, she said.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/gettyimages-2162198685.jpg\" alt=\"beach reading\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sea therapy&#8221; is often referred to as thalassotherapy or blue space therapy, as it taps into the healing properties of coastal environments. (iStock)<\/p>\n<p>The beach can help visitors recover from mental fatigue, promoting attention restoration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher said exposure to\u00a0&#8220;negative ions\u00a0in sea air has been linked to improved mood and reduced symptoms <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/mental-health\/depression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">of depression.&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/lifestyle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com\/lifestyle<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sun exposure also helps the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/health\/common-daily-vitamin-could-slow-biological-aging-major-study-suggests\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">body produce vitamin D<\/a>, which is essential for bone health, immune function and mood regulation, Gallagher added.<\/p>\n<p>Travel expert Francesca Page of New York told Fox News Digital that &#8220;sea therapy&#8221; is not news to her.<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/spring-break-fort-lauderdale-florida-college-students-beach_14.jpg\" alt=\"Spring breakers on the beach in bikinis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Beach visits can boost mental well-being, reduce stress, and improve sleep through mindfulness and relaxation. (Julia Bonavita\/Fox News Digital)<\/p>\n<p>She went on a &#8220;post-winter rut&#8221; cruise through the British Virgin Islands, Page said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/newsletters?cmpid=fnfirstnl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Even just cruising on the water, when not island-hopping or snorkeling, definitely gave me my fix mentally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/fitness-and-wellbeing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and physically<\/a>,&#8221; she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/people-playing-in-ocean.jpg\" alt=\"people playing in the ocean\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/> <\/p>\n<p>Sun exposure also helps the body produce vitamin D, which is essential for bone health, immune function and mood regulation.\u00a0 (iStock)<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher warned that potential drawbacks could be sunburn, dehydration, pollution, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/category\/health\/respiratory-health\/allergy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allergies and<\/a> water safety concerns \u2014 which people seeking &#8220;sea therapy&#8221; should be cognizant of ahead of time.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;While swimming has additional advantages, simply being near the ocean \u2014 walking, listening to waves or breathing in sea air \u2014 can promote relaxation,&#8221; said Gallagher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With summer travel kicking off in full swing, many Americans are seeking sunshine and waves. Aside from enjoying&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146695,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-146694","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146694","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146694"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146694\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}