To individuals who view riding motorcycles as simply an adrenaline rush provider for daredevils, riding for one’s mental wellbeing can appear to be befuddling since such people consider bike riding not as a mental health therapy but is by all accounts an ironic expression. Nonetheless, despite what opinions people carry, bike riders with vast experience in the activity have vividly comprehended that bike riding carries benefits like diminished pressure and anxiety.
Motorcycling gives you a healthy outlet
Work piling up along with stress, an exponentially increasing screen time, and an excessive social interaction coupled with a strong craving for some ‘me time’. Mobile phones have made switching off relatively difficult. It has been statistically proven that one out of three people is unable to physically power off social media. 28% can’t due to work-related emails yet 20% feel exhausted mentally because of the constant connection.
Among the many ways to unwind in such trying times, packing your stuff and hopping on your motorbike for a long ride gives you an effective outlet to release tension, since there is zero technology access, no passenger, keeping one focused. It is difficult to think of anything else while turning sharp ends and hitting high speeds. Just you, your bike on a picturesque countryside route accompanied by fresh air
Motorcycling physically reduces your stress levels
Having a high-stress life can be exhausting. Having a dozen things to worry about can be physically and mentally draining. On top of this worrying about demeanor, analyzing people and various situations can become too much. In such a life-style (which nowadays is pretty common) finding an escape is essential and what better than an activity that will replenish your body without it being too strenuous. Your positioning, comfort, focus all matter so you seemingly have no choice but to listen and reconnect with your body and its needs. This can be extremely rewarding especially if it’s a long ride.
Motorcycling helps lessens your feelings of anxiety and aids in improving psychological wellness issues.
Results from an in-depth biker survey conducted by UCLA showed that hormones that cause stress decrease by 28 percent just by motorcycling for only 20 minutes. Moreover, cortisol levels of a biker, which is the fight and flight hormone diminishes hence, bikers are fundamentally less inclined to experience the ill effects of uneasiness, migraines, cardiovascular failures, memory issues, or sleep deprivation
Depression and anxiety can also be treated by surrounding yourself with nature.
Motorcycling plays a vital role in improving one’s mental health while also optimizing one’s brain up to its best. Your mind-set enhances and your pressure diminishes as you voyage down beautiful lanes. Whenever you speed up on the motorbike, the feeling of the surging adrenaline engulfs your body. This feeling is in fact your body delivering endorphins, which feels extraordinary as well as improves your temperament. Since you are exposed to direct sunlight when riding a bike, you take in Vitamin D which helps in maintaining a stable, clear focused mind-set. However considerable the psychological advantages of bike riding may be, they’re essentially physical too.
Motorcycling increases your social life
Bikers form their own closely related community. Ranging from loud barns on the roadside to subtle head nods, they understand each other on a different level. They organize events across the country engaging members, increasing connectivity, making group rides search easier.
This social interaction prevents social isolation which is among the leading causes of depression, anxiety, and deterioration of mental health. Bikers have a shared interest, hence, easier interactions and forging long-lasting friendships, forming a small family with a strong and close bond.
Increase your cognitive abilities
Our physical health is often given precedence over our mental well-being, however, what’s interesting is the significance of a healthy brain for a healthy body. Who doesn’t want a toned body, yet to achieve your physical goals a healthy, active brain is vital.
Riding a motorcycle combines both these factors (physical and mental activity) in complete harmony. The physical aspects of a motorcycle are evident with its extensive leg workout- balancing a vehicle more than twice your bodyweight. However, there is also an increasing cognitive function, riding a motorcycle activates your brain’s prefrontal section to about 55 percent.
There is a high level of alertness and concentration required while riding bikes that strengthens the brain’s muscles and studies have shown that riding a motorcycle could aid in the prevention of the onset and dementia and Alzheimer’s Moreover, our spatial reasoning capacity as well as our memory is enhanced. Quick thinking makes you a better problem solver helping you in your everyday life. A nice long bike ride could potentially help you simplify your problems and give you a new perspective.
So why do driving cars not have the same impact as motorcycles? The answer is fairly simple cars have a relatively higher level of comfort that does not allow for the same impact on our cognitive abilities.
Positive Outlook
It is natural for a biker to feel joyful and/or satisfied after a pleasant long ride. This feeling can easily be explained at a biological level. The rush and thrill of the adventure produce adrenaline and our surroundings and environment produce endorphins such as dopamine- the happy hormone. These chemicals once secreted improve our moods drastically enabling us to feel, calm, content and aid us in letting go of our negative emotions. Hence after every ride, you will notice feeling relatively positive and less burdened than before. This minimization in pain and increased pleasure could explain the addiction felt by bikers to ride.
Riding also enables us to achieve a state of mindfulness- a technique to reach a mental state of acknowledging your feelings calmly while being drawing attention to the awareness of the present which helps you feel a sense of clarity. As you ride, you unconsciously bring yourself to that state, practicing this technique naturally and thus feel rejuvenated after a long ride
Engagement of senses
Being on your bike can make you feel utterly carefree. With all your senses at work- the wind caressing your body, the slight gradual changes in temperature, the arrays of shifting scenery, the multitudes of scents all in harmony -engulfing you in their might,
However, the differentiating factor of a long excursion is the time spent outdoors. The sun tanning your skin, your breathing feeling easier, and an overall feeling of contentment. This possibly truly happens when you’re outside for an extended period of time not just a few mere hours. Try not to limit how significant this is—there are a lot of studies that reveal to us how vital being outside is to our overall well-being.
Therapeutic Outcomes
The personal time expected to decompress from the pressing factors of work and everyday undertakings is more earnestly to drop by. The limit between work hours and leisure time starts to deplete with passing time for most of us. To resurface your sense of contentment and reminisce upon life, bike riding is the best yet healthiest way to disconnect from reality into your own peace of mind.
Going on bike rides is a singular encounter that provides mental space to allow our considerations to extend and re-establish our life ambitions whether it be alone or with an enjoyable company. Furthermore, along with physiological benefits, motorcycling is also physically beneficial for it can be considered as an overall exercise for the human body. This statement has not only been confirmed by previous bike riders but also proven by science.
There are various advantages related to being a bike enthusiast. The positive effect it can have on people with emotional wellness issues is enormous hence making owning a motorbike a highly beneficial decision.
