Can Spending Time in Nature Help You Feel More Rested?
A walk through woodland or a quiet pause in a park can offer several kinds of recovery. Research has linked encounters with nature to improvements in attention, reductions in repetitive negative thinking, and changes in stress responses. Researchers are also investigating whether compounds released by plants contribute to these effects.[1–3]
These possibilities help explain why “feeling rested” can mean more than being physically still. The evidence points to several potential pathways, with stronger support for some than others.
Giving attention room to recover
One explanation is attention restoration theory. It proposes that natural environments can hold our interest without demanding the sustained, deliberate concentration required by many everyday tasks. This gentler engagement may allow directed attention—the ability to focus while resisting distractions—to recover.[1]
In a 2008 study, researchers compared experiences of natural and urban environments. Across two experiments involving walks or photographs, exposure to nature improved performance on tests of directed attention. Because some benefits occurred after viewing pictures, inhaling plant compounds was not necessary for those particular effects.[1]
These findings concern specific cognitive tasks, rather than a complete measure of mental exhaustion. Nevertheless, they offer experimental support for the idea that a change of surroundings can help restore concentration.[1]
Stepping away from repetitive thoughts
Nature may also influence what occupies our attention. Rumination involves repeatedly dwelling on negative thoughts about ourselves or our experiences.[2]
In a 2015 experiment, participants were randomly assigned to a 90-minute walk in either a natural or an urban setting. Those who walked in nature reported less rumination afterwards and showed reduced activity in a brain region associated with this pattern of thinking. The urban-walk group did not show the same changes.[2]
Both groups walked for the same duration and distance, suggesting that the setting contributed beyond the activity alone. The experiment does not establish lasting relief from depression or anxiety, but it identifies a plausible route to feeling mentally less burdened after time outdoors.[2]
Seeing and hearing a calmer environment
Research on stress recovery extends beyond walking. In a classic experiment, 120 participants watched a stressful film followed by videos of natural or urban settings. Emotional ratings and physiological measurements indicated faster, more complete recovery in the nature conditions.[4]
A larger 2026 replication involving 959 participants also reported greater improvements in positive feelings and reductions in anger after nature videos, while describing a more nuanced pattern of physiological responses. This distinction matters: emotional recovery and bodily measurements do not always change together.[5]
Sound may contribute too. In a study of 40 people recovering from a stressful arithmetic task, skin conductance—a measure related to sympathetic nervous-system activation—tended to recover faster during nature sounds than environmental noise. Another measure, high-frequency heart-rate variability, showed no effect.[6]
Together, these experiments suggest that the sensory qualities of a setting can influence recovery, even without direct contact with vegetation. They do not imply that every natural scene or sound will be equally restorative.[4–6]
What plants release into the air
Forest air adds another dimension. Plants emit volatile organic compounds, including terpenes such as α-pinene and limonene. These are airborne gases, rather than particles like pollen. The term phytoncides broadly describes plant-derived substances associated with defence against other organisms; it is not one chemical or a standardised treatment.[3]
The mixture varies with vegetation, temperature, light, and other conditions. Consequently, spending an hour in one forest does not deliver the same exposure as an hour in another.[3]
A small laboratory experiment found that 90 seconds of α-pinene exposure lowered heart rate and increased a heart-rate-variability measure associated with parasympathetic activity in 13 young women. The results are consistent with short-term physiological relaxation, although the narrow sample and brief exposure limit generalisation.[7]
A more direct test came in 2025. Participants sat in a forest wearing equipment that either allowed terpenes through or filtered them out alongside other organic vapours. Thirty-one people completed both conditions in this randomised, double-blind crossover trial.[8]
The primary heart-rate-variability outcome, reported stress, blood pressure, and cortisol did not differ significantly. Some secondary outcomes, including skin conductance and the immune-signalling molecule interleukin-6, were lower in the terpene-permitting condition. These findings support further investigation, but do not establish a broad calming or anti-inflammatory effect from forest aromas.[8]
What about immune effects?
Hinoki cypress.
An often-cited study investigated 12 men who spent three nights in hotel rooms where hinoki cypress oil was vaporised. Researchers reported increased natural killer-cell activity and changes in related immune markers after the stay.[9]
However, the comparison was with measurements taken beforehand on a normal working day, rather than a randomised stay in an otherwise identical unscented room. Changes in rest and routine could therefore have contributed. The study suggests possible biological effects worth exploring; it does not show that inhaling plant compounds prevents infections or other illnesses.[9]
Making space for a restorative break
Consider a comfortable walk through a nearby green space, or a seated pause where you can notice the surroundings. Treat it as an opportunity to observe whether your attention feels clearer, your thoughts less repetitive, or your mood more settled—not as a prescribed dose of forest air.
This approach reflects the range of findings: restoration has been studied through walking, viewing, listening, and inhalation. Plant aromas may contribute, but the research also gives good reason to value the wider experience of being in nature.[1,2,6–8]
References
- Berman MG, Jonides J, Kaplan S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19, 1207–1212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.x
- Bratman GN, et al. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation. PNAS, 112, 8567–8572. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26124129/
- Antonelli M, et al. (2020). Forest Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on Human Health: A State-of-the-Art Review. IJERPH, 17, 6506. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/18/6506
- Ulrich RS, et al. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 201–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-4944(05)80184-7
- Van den Berg, et al. (2026). Psychophysiological recovery from viewing nature and urban settings: A multisite replication. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 111, 102956. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494426000575
- Alvarsson JJ, Wiens S, Nilsson ME. (2010). Stress recovery during exposure to nature sound and environmental noise. IJERPH, 7, 1036–1046. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20617017/
- Ikei H, Song C, Miyazaki Y. (2016). Effects of olfactory stimulation by α-pinene on autonomic nervous activity. Journal of Wood Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10086-016-1576-1
- Forest terpenes and stress: Examining the associations of filtered vs. non-filtered air in a real-life natural environment. (2025). Environmental Research, 276, 121482. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12103269/
- Li Q, et al. (2009). Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20074458/
- Lahart I, et al. (2019). The Effects of Green Exercise on Physical and Mental Wellbeing: A Systematic Review. IJERPH, 16, 1352. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30991724/