Internet addiction and sleep problems : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Napping: a public health issue: from epidemiological to laboratory studies

Shinrin-yoku, immersing oneself in nature using one’s senses, has been receiving increased attention internationally. While most of the existing studies have focused on physical health, this systematic review and meta-analysis examined the mental health impacts of shinrin-yoku, using the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registry: BLINDED). Of 497 articles retrieved on databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Science Direct and Google Scholar, twenty met the inclusion criteria. All studies were conducted in Asia and Europe, and used a variety of different bathing approaches (e.g. breathing, walking, yoga). While noting a need for more rigorous research and extensive follow-up assessments, the findings indicate that shinrin-yoku can be effective in reducing mental health symptoms in the short term, particularly anxiety. More careful examination of shinrin-yoku practices is needed; longer follow-up with participants from a range of countries along with greater examination of potential mechanisms is needed for shinrin-yoku to be accepted into mainstream interventions.

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Effects of Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy on Mental Health: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This study focused on the newest evidence of the relationship between forest environmental exposure and human health and assessed the health efficacy of forest bathing on the human body as well as the methodological quality of a single study, aiming to provide scientific guidance for interdisciplinary integration of forestry and medicine. Through PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, 210 papers from January 1, 2015, to April 1, 2019, were retrieved, and the final 28 papers meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The methodological quality of papers included in the study was assessed quantitatively with the Downs and Black checklist. The methodological quality of papers using randomized controlled trials is significantly higher than that of papers using non-randomized controlled trials (p < 0.05). Papers included in the study were analyzed qualitatively. The results demonstrated that forest bathing activities might have the following merits: remarkably improving cardiovascular function, hemodynamic indexes, neuroendocrine indexes, metabolic indexes, immunity and inflammatory indexes, antioxidant indexes, and electrophysiological indexes; significantly enhancing people’s emotional state, attitude, and feelings towards things, physical and psychological recovery, and adaptive behaviors; and obvious alleviation of anxiety and depression. Forest bathing activities may significantly improve people’s physical and psychological health. In the future, medical empirical studies of forest bathing should reinforce basic studies and interdisciplinary exchange to enhance the methodological quality of papers while decreasing the risk of bias, thereby raising the grade of paper evidence.

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Medical empirical research on forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku): a systematic review.

Symptom Cluster of ICU Nurses Treating COVID-19 Pneumonia Patients in Wuhan, China.

In recent years, many of Japanese workers have complained of fatigue and stress, considering them as risk factors for depression. Studies have found that “forest bathing” (Shinrin-yoku) has positive physiological effects, such as blood pressure reduction, improvement of autonomic and immune functions, as well as psychological effects of alleviating depression and improving mental health. In this study, we investigate the physiological and psychological effects of “forest bathing” on people of a working age with and without depressive tendencies. We conducted physiological measurements and psychological surveys before and after forest bathing with subjects who participated in day-long sessions of forest bathing, at a forest therapy base located in Hiroshima Prefecture. After excluding severely depressed individuals, the participants were classified into two groups: those with depressive tendencies (5 ≤ K6 ≤ 12) and those without depressive tendencies (K6 < 5) for comparative study. The evaluation indices measured were systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse rate (PR), autonomic functions, and profile of mood states (POMS). Of the 155 participants, 37% had depressive tendencies, without any differences observed between males and females. All participants showed significant decrease in SBP, DBP, and in negative POMS items after a forest bathing session. Before the session, those with depressive tendencies scored significantly higher on the POMS negative items than those without depressive tendencies. After forest bathing, those with depressive tendencies demonstrated significantly greater improvement in many of POMS items than those without depressive tendencies, and many of them no longer differed between those with and without depressive tendencies. Examining the physiological and psychological effects of a day-long session of forest bathing on a working age group demonstrated significant positive effects on mental health, especially in those with depressive tendencies. Not applicable; this is not a report of intervention trial.

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A comparative study of the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on working age people with and without depressive tendencies

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two 15-min naps on nurses who work at night in a three-shift system. Of the 15 nurses who were included as study subjects on a night shift, eight took two short naps (the Nap condition), and seven worked without taking a nap (the No-nap condition) during the night shift. We measured sublingual temperature and the bispectral index (BIS), obtained heart rate and heart rate variability measures from an electrocardiogram (ECG), and evaluated sleepiness and fatigue levels every hour using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Both subjective sleepiness and fatigue increased between 4:00 and 5:00, with no significant differences observed between the two groups. However, the low- to high-frequency ratio (LF/HF) in the Nap condition group was found to be significantly lower than in the No-nap condition group. Furthermore, a sudden, brief increase in HF values was observed in the No-nap condition group in the morning. The results of this study suggest that taking two short naps may effectively reduce tension and prevent a brief increase in HF values by suppressing sympathetic nervous activity in the morning.

Effects of two 15-min naps on the subjective sleepiness, fatigue and heart rate variability of night shift nurses.

Objectives This study aimed to elucidate the effects of two naps taken at night on morning waking state and performance. Methods The participants were 12 women. The experiment was performed in a laboratory over 2 days (16:00-09:00). In this crossover comparative study, three experimental nap conditions were used (naps from 22:30 to 00:00 and from 02:30 to 03:00 (22:30-NAP), 00:30 to 02:00 and 04:30 to 05:00 (00:30-NAP), and no naps (NO-NAP), respectively). Measurement items were a Visual Analog Scale for sleepiness and fatigue, the Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), and single-digit addition calculations (10 min) every hour for 18 h from 16:00 to 09:00, excluding nap times. Results Sleep inertia and sleepiness were noted directly after napping. Less sleepiness and fatigue were noted in the nap groups between 06:00 and 09:00 in the morning than in the NO-NAP condition and PVT response times were faster. Since participants in the nap groups were able to conduct more single-digit addition calculations, the performance of these groups appeared to be superior to that of the NO-NAP condition. Furthermore, the performance of calculations was significantly better in the 00:30-NAP than in the 22:30-NAP. Conclusions Taking two naps during a simulated night shift helps improve sleepiness and fatigue and maintain performance. Taking a nap in the early morning appears to be promising for improving the waking state.

The effects of nighttime napping on sleep, sleep inertia, and performance during simulated 16 h night work: a pilot study.

Objective To investigate sleepiness, fatigue, and performance following a 120-minute nap during simulated 16-hour night shifts based on subjective and objective assessments. Methods Fourteen females participated in this crossover comparative study. Three experimental nap conditions were used: naps from 22:00 to 00:00 (22-NAP), 00:00 to 02:00 (00-NAP), and 02:00 to 04:00 (02-NAP), respectively. Measurement items were sleep parameters, sublingual temperature, a Visual Analog Scale for sleepiness and fatigue, a single-digit mental arithmetic task (for 10 minutes), and heart rate variability. Participants wore an ActiGraph to estimate their sleep state. Results There was no difference in the sleep parameters at the time of naps among the three conditions. Immediately following a 120-minute nap, sleepiness and fatigue increased, and the number of calculations performed in the single-digit mental arithmetic task decreased in any of the conditions. In particular, immediately after the 02-NAP, fatigue and high-frequency power (HF) were higher than after the 22-NAP. In the early morning (from 05:00 to 09:00), in the 22-NAP, sleepiness and fatigue increased, and performance and sublingual temperature decreased more than in the 00-NAP and 02-NAP. Furthermore, the ratio of errors was significantly lower in the 00-NAP than in the 22-NAP in the early morning. Conclusions A 120-minute nap taken from 22:00 to 02:00 may cause temporary sleepiness after waking, increase fatigue and reduce performance. Greater attention should be given to naps taken at a later time (ie, 02-NAP). In addition, taking a nap starting at 00:00 might decrease the risks of errors in the morning.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/1348-9585.12063

Sanae Oriyama

Papers

A comparative study of the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on working age people with and without depressive tendencies

Effects of two 15-min naps on the subjective sleepiness, fatigue and heart rate variability of night shift nurses.

The effects of nighttime napping on sleep, sleep inertia, and performance during simulated 16 h night work: a pilot study.

The effects of a 120-minute nap on sleepiness, fatigue, and performance during 16-hour night shifts: A pilot study.

INFLUENCE OF NIGHT-SHIFT WORK ON NURSES : Changes in activity, sleepiness, fatigue and physiological indices during night shifts