immerse yourself in the forest reduces stress

A Japanese tradition called "shinrin yoku", which involves immersing oneself in the forest during a walk, would effectively reduce stress, according to a new study.  

Depression , lung or heart disease ... Shinrin-yoku (literally meaning the "forest bath") is a practice of spending time in the forest to take care of your health. 

In Japan in 2018, more than 50 forest courses were marked, in combination with medical checkpoints, under the supervision of Chiba University and Tokyo's Nippon Medical School. In 2012 alone, there were up to 5 million visitors practicing forest therapy courses.

Breathe the air for a long time

Recently, a group of Italian researchers began to get a better idea of ​​the effect of Shinrin-yoku on stress levels. They published their results in the International Journal of Biometeorology . 

Scientists have defined shinrin yoku as "staying in a forest, either walking or sitting, but breathing in the air for a long time". They then focused on cortisol , a steroid hormone that increases production during stress, and is easily measured in saliva samples.

Placebo effect

Following a meta-analysis of 22 preexisting studies, the team found that cortisol levels were lower in people who immersed themselves regularly in the forest, especially just before going to the wild. "Shinrin-yoku is considered an anti-stress practice, and planning for a forest walk seems to have a positive influence on cortisol levels even before physically interacting with that environment. mental immersion in the forest can have a placebo effect, "explain the researchers. 

Often underestimated, stress is at the root of many pathologies . One in four employees is today too stressed at work , to the point of putting themselves in danger. "We can make an analogy with hypertension: everyone has blood pressure, the problem is when we have too much," said New Obs  Dr. Patrick Legeron, psychiatrist at the Sainte-Anne Hospital Paris. The private sphere is not spared by the phenomenon, as recently demonstrated post facebook of a mother in full burn-out , become viral on the web.