Having you experienced the fresh feeling when you’re in the deep forest or by a waterfall? Or you may feel the need to recharge your batteries near the sea, near a waterfall, or in green space after long work days. It turns out that these are environments rich in negative ions, which provide a feeling of well-being.
What is Negative Ion?
Negative ions are oxygen atoms charged with an extra electron. They are odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments. Negative ions are generated in nature by the effects of water, air, sunlight, and the Earth’s inherent radiation.
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. Do you know that fresh feeling you experience when you’re in the deep forest or by a waterfall? The air in these places is filled with negatively charged ions. Negative ions are what give the air that fresh, clean feeling.
On the other hand, positive ions are created from electromagnetic fields from computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices. They are also found in polluted air such as cigarette smoke, sulfurous acid gas, nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, and other organic compounds.
Inversely, negative ions have a positive effect on us. They elevate our mood, increase our serotonin levels, and improve immunity. If there are enough negative ions in the air, they can also negate the effects of positive ions by attaching to them and removing them from the air. This helps negative ions clean and purify the air. Negative ions make your body feel recharged and rejuvenated. The reason you feel so refreshed when exposed to negative ions is because of the significantly higher negative ion concentrations in the breathable atmosphere.
Where do negative ions come from?
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. In certain natural spaces, one can find large quantities of negative ions: 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.
The easiest way to experience the benefits of negative ions is to spend more time outdoors. Expose yourself to places with very high concentrations of negative ions such as:
- Dense forests (especially pine forests)
- Mountains
- Parks
- Waterfalls
- Springs
- Go outside after heavy rain and storms
- Beaches
Negative ion rich in forest
Negative ion rich nature helps recovery
Other ways that negative ions are generated include:
- Corona discharge (where 2 poles discharge: air purifier, air conditioner)
- Leonard type (Dissociation of water: Waterfall effect, electrification, air purifier)
- Electric discharge (single pole discharge: air activator, electrification of water and oil)
- Electromagnetic induction (minus electric potential, electric potential system, different types of jewel friction)
- Catalytic equation (metal, oxidized titanium, etc.)
- Radiating substances (radon, radium, etc.)
- Electrical mineral (tourmaline, crystal, amber, etc.)
- Natural mineral (magnetic iron, vein stone, feldspar, etc.)
- Coal
- Minerals (coral, shellfish, fossil, clay, etc.)
The benefits of negative ions
Negative ions are beneficial for our health (unlike positive ions): they improve our mood, our tone, the quality of our sleep, the concentration, and the oxygenation of our tissues. Negative ions would also make us less vulnerable to stress.
But why do we feel oppressed when a thunderstorm approaches? Why do we feel soothed by the sea? This is where the ions come in, and their influence on our physiology.
Continue, we tell you more!
They act mainly by respiratory tracts and could also intervene by cutaneous ways. They promote exchanges between cells and the penetration of oxygen in the lungs.
Negative ions have the particularity of ridding the atmosphere of bacteria. The sea air is so pure compared to that of cities, that there are about a hundred times fewer germs.
Cleaning indoor air
In high enough concentrations, anions purify the surrounding air of mold spores, pollen, pet dander, odors, cigarette smoke, bacteria, viruses, dust, and other hazardous airborne particles. This process is more efficient than simply masking the smell like air fresheners do. It helps to remove unwanted odors in the home and maintain clean air.
They do this by attaching to these positively-charged particles in large numbers. This causes the germs, mold, pollen, and other allergens to become too heavy to stay airborne.
Enhance recovery and maintain cell health
Negative ions increase cell metabolism which helps ensure more efficient nutrient uptake and waste removal by the cell – this ensures that your cells are healthy. Faster cell metabolism also supports faster recovery. Hence, negative ions play an important role in the body’s natural healing and recovery.
Improve blood circulation for better health
Negative ions increase the oxygen capacity of red blood cells, which enhances oxygen absorption and improves blood circulation. This helps to keep the body’s systems healthy as more oxygenated blood is carried around in a more efficient manner.
Regulate immune system
Negative ions help to regulate the immune system by promoting the body’s natural healing and repairing abilities and enhancing enzymatic activities. This helps to protect against any illness or disease and boosts the energy levels of cancer patients who are undergoing treatment.
Regulate the nervous system
Negative ions can help to regulate the autonomic nervous system, which is in charge of sleep and rest in our body. Restoring balance to the nervous system helps to improve sleep quality, reduce stress, and alleviate feelings of anxiousness and depression in patients. Through the improvement of autonomic balance through negative ions, it will lead to better hormonal balance and health.
The benefits on air depollution
Some consumer devices using negative ion generation technology have been shown to remove airborne particles, dust, cigarette smoke, pet dandruff, pollen, spores from molds, viruses, and bacteria. A powerful ionizer achieves the following results: a 30-minute operation resulted in the removal of 97% of 0.1 micron particles (ultrafine particles) and 95% of 1-micron particles (fine particles). In addition, negative ions reduce the concentration of aerosols in viable bacteria: 95% in 2 hours following laboratory tests. In an experiment conducted in a controlled atmosphere in a stable, ionization reduced the concentration of fine particles (PM10) by 70 to 75%.
The benefits on respiratory diseases
The link between air ionization and respiratory diseases can logically be deduced from the influence of ions on the presence of particulate pollutants: the frequency or severity of respiratory disorders must logically be reduced by the reduction of triggers or aggravating factors of respiratory diseases, respiratory particles, and allergens carried by the air.
How to increase negative ions in your home?
Traveling to the great outdoors isn’t the only way to get a high concentration of negative ions. Along with spending more time in nature, here are some other creative activities you can do to generate negative ions right in your home or office environment.
- Use a Gemstone FIR Heating Pad, which combines therapies of far infrared rays, negative ions, and the benefits of natural gemstones and crystals. You simply lay on top of the mat and enjoy the soothing warmth.
- Run an indoor water fountain.
- Have tourmaline crystals nearby or wear them.
- Surround yourself with plants.
- Wear a negative ion wristband or a magnetic bracelet which can help reduce positive ion levels in the body.