Costa Rica Waterfalls – Waterfalls and negative ions are good for your health
What is it about a waterfall that leaves people invigorated and powerful? Ever notice how good it feels when you go trout fishing in the mountains on a pristine creek or river or sitting on your surfboard waiting for the next wave?
There’s a proven scientific explanation for it all. These water sources produce tiny particles known as negative ions, which have been proven to have a positive effect on health, mood and energy.
Now conversely, ever notice how groggy and out of it one feels after a day in a closed car or office? Yep, it’s those negative ions again, or more specifically, lack of negative ions. Whereas the air around Niagara Falls can contain between 30,000 and 100,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter, offices, cars and homes can contain as little as a few hundred.
What Is A Negative Ion? A negative ion (or to be more proper, a negative-charged ion) is a molecule that has an extra electron attached. The negative ions that we are addressing here, the ions produced by indoor waterfalls and mountain streams, are oxygen ions.
What Do They Do? Negative ions have been proven to have a positive impact on health, mood, and energy, affecting serotonin levels in the brain. Negative ions also bond with impurities in the air, adhering to suspended particles and removing them.
How Are They Produced? Negative ions may be produced in several ways. The ions we are concerned with, oxygen ions, are most commonly produced through disturbance of water molecules, such as in fast flowing rivers or indoor waterfalls.
The disturbance of water molecules occasionally displaces an electron, causing it to break off from its host. This spare electron then seeks out another oxygen molecule as a host, giving this molecule an extra electron, and therefore a negative charge.
Concentration of Negative Ions in Different Environments
| Environment | Concentration* |
| Waterfalls | 95,000-450,000 |
| Mountains, seashores, breezy forest | 50,000-100,000 |
| Breezy country meadow | 5,000-50,000 |
| Cities | 100-2,000 |
| Rooms and offices | 40-100 |
| Rooms with Air Conditioner | 0-20 |
*Approximate Concentration of Negative Ions per cubic centimeter (cc3)
Life is simply too short not be experiencing that positive energy, and happiness, and sense of well being that you experience from certain locations with waterfalls or cascades.
Costa Rica Waterfalls – Waterfalls and negative ions are good for your health
Article/Property ID Number 1989
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Andrew Makarik
to@welovecostarica.comAndrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.
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