Is Greener Better? Quantifying the Impact of a Nature Walk on Stress Reduction Using HRV and Saliva Cortisol Biomarkers

Shravan G. Aras (), J. Ray Runyon, Josh B. Kazman, Julian F. Thayer, Esther M. Sternberg and Patricia A. Deuster
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Shravan G. Aras: Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
J. Ray Runyon: Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Josh B. Kazman: Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
Julian F. Thayer: Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
Esther M. Sternberg: Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Patricia A. Deuster: Consortium for Health and Military Performance, Department of Military and Emergency Medicine, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA

IJERPH, 2024, vol. 21, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: The physiological impact of walking in nature was quantified via continuous heart rate variability (HRV), pre- and post-walk saliva cortisol measures, and self-reported mood and mindfulness scores for N = 17 participants who walked “The Green Road” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. For N = 15 of the participants, HRV analysis revealed two main groups: group one individuals had a 104% increase (mean) in the root mean square standard deviation (RMSSD) and a 47% increase (mean) in the standard deviation of NN values (SDNN), indicating an overall reduction in physiological stress from walking the Green Road, and group two individuals had a decrease (mean) of 42% and 31% in these respective HRV metrics, signaling an increase in physiological stresses. Post-walk self-reported scores for vigor and mood disturbance were more robust for the Green Road than for a comparable urban road corridor and showed that a higher HRV during the walk was associated with improved overall mood. Saliva cortisol was lower after taking a walk for all participants, and it showed that walking the Green Road elicited a significantly larger reduction in cortisol of 53%, on average, when compared with 37% of walking along an urban road. It was also observed that the order in which individuals walked the Green Road and urban road also impacted their cortisol responses, with those walking the urban road before the Green Road showing a substantial reduction in cortisol, suggesting a possible attenuation effect of walking the Green Road first. These findings provide quantitative data demonstrating the stress-reducing effects of being in nature, thus supporting the health benefit value of providing access to nature more broadly in many settings.

Keywords: heart rate variability; saliva cortisol biomarkers; Green Road; urban road; mood disturbances; physiological stress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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