Elucidation of a Physiological Adjustment Effect in a Forest Environment: A Pilot Study
Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, Chiba University, Kashiwa-no-ha 6-2-1, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-0882, Japan
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current Address: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8687, Japan.
Academic Editor: Paul B. Tchounwou
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12(4), 4247-4255; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120404247
Received: 30 January 2015 / Revised: 25 March 2015 / Accepted: 13 April 2015 / Published: 17 April 2015
There is a significant positive relationship between exposure to forest environments and physical and mental health. However, there are individual differences within these responses, and this phenomenon has posed questions in various fields. Here, we show that the physiological effect of a forest environment can differ depending on a subject’s initial values and that forests have a physiological adjustment effect close to an appropriate level. Subjects with high initial blood pressure and pulse rate showed a decrease in these values after walking in a forested area, whereas those with low initial values showed an increase. There was no physiological adjustment effect observed in an urban area; thus, these effects are specific to a forest environment.
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Keywords:
individual difference; initial value; walking; blood pressure; pulse rate; urban environment
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MDPI and ACS Style
Song, C.; Ikei, H.; Miyazaki, Y. Elucidation of a Physiological Adjustment Effect in a Forest Environment: A Pilot Study. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 4247-4255.
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