The sound of nature, that is, the flow of flowing and flowing birds, and the falling rain are often a healthy option for white noise machines and meditation apps.
no way New small research has been published It emphasizes further in molecular psychiatry. According to this study, a one -hour natural walkway reduces stress when compared to walking for an hour in a bustling urban environment.
This study followed 63 people who were randomly assigned natural walks or urban trails. The natural walk was held in the forest of Berlin and the city walk was held on a bustling street of the city.
Participants were instructed to check the phone while walking or to stop at the store. They gave me a packaged lunch and phone with a 30 -minute timer.
Before walking, the participants received a FMRI scan to write a questionnaire and measure two tasks.
The first task was to measure brain activity during the “Fearful Face Task,” and the participants showed 15 women and 15 male faces with neutral or scary expressions. The second measured task is designed to increase the level of stress with brain activity during the “Montreal Video Stress Work.” During the work, the participants had a fixed time to solve challenging arithmetic problems.
After the walk, the participants received another FMRI scan that measured the same task as he wrote and performed before walking.
The result showed that nature has improved the level of people’s stress.
According to this study, those who participated in a 60 -minute natural walk had a low stress level over time.
“According to our study, (A) (A) The activity of the brain area related to stress treatment has decreased for only one hour walking from nature. I told the medical news today.
In particular, researchers found the tonsils of the brain (this is Our stress and fear reaction) The number of people in Nature Walk Group has decreased.
This reduction was not visible to those who completed the city walk. According to this study, the urban environment has a negative impact on mental health, causing anxiety, depression and mood disorders. (Think about the stress of frequent horns, the stress that deals with long lines to run to ride or get food.)
In fact, it also shows in other studies The mental health can be difficult in the city area due to the crowded nature of the city and the increase in stresses in the whole environment.
It is worth noting that there are some limitations in this study. All participants had a similar background and the research could not control the person walking. For example, when someone in a walk in the forest took a break on the day of rest, the participants could further reduce the stress response of the participants.
This study also focused only on the benefits of natural walks for an hour. We are not sure if the same positive results occur in a short time. But Sudimac told Medical News that there is evidence that the level of stress hormone cortisol is reduced after a 15 -minute natural walk.
Also, in addition to this study, Outdoor positive impactTherefore, it is not difficult to conclude that it is better than nothing outside for a few minutes.
In addition to reducing stress, nature has different advantages.
Dr. Tama SinghCleveland Clinic’s co -director of the Sports and Heart Center told HuffPost that there is a more mental health benefit to HuffPost to walk nature.
“Many of us do not get enough nature, walking in the air, walking in the mother’s planet, crowded with leaves, creaking of birds, and essentially on the ‘forest bath’,” she said.
There are many advantages in the forest bath, which can improve mindfulness, meditative, and breathing.
Spend time outside In addition, it has been shown to improve sleep, increase creativity, and improve immune function.
Whether you live in a city or rural area, set the priority of natural walks.
The result is clear. Spending time in nature is good for mental health. But if you live in the city, don’t be discouraged. It should be noted that the natural walks of this study took place in the urban forest in the city of Berlin.
Therefore, walking through local parks or nature protection areas can help you get calm. The key takes 60 minutes to move around the green universe, move and do outdoor activities.
The headlines and subtitles of this story have been updated to better reflect the research.
