Effects of Sleeping in Forest Environments on Brainwave Activity

Background: The greener environment is surprisingly recognized as an effective counteractive measure on mental stress. However, the environment's beneficial effects on the brain remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological and psychological effects of forest therapy (sleeping activity) in forest areas. Methods: The participants were 24 male and female students. Blood pressure, brainwave activity and psychological indices were recorded. Results: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was significantly lower in the forest areas than in the urban parks. Furthermore, significantly increased alpha and beta wave activity were observed in the forest area. In addition, subjects' anxiety scores were more significantly decreased after time spent in forest areas as compared to urban parks. Conclusions: The results of the physiological and psychological measurements show that forest recreation enhances both physical and mental relaxation in adults. Funding Statement: This study was sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation of China grant no. 31570700. Declaration of Interests: The Authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The Ethics Committee of the College of Landscape Architecture approved this experiment.